By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
On X @GDsullysays
HADDONFIELD — Senior Ibn Muhammad is a 6-foot, 190-pound cruise missile on both sides of the ball committed to Syracuse. Christian Braxton is a senior running back who’s as slippery as a salamander. Senior wide receiver Ah’Zeir Pagan is a speed demon on the outside. Andre Robinson is just a sophomore, but he’s a defensive end and tight end who already is 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds — before he’s even old enough for a driving learner’s permit. Daniel Williams, another sophomore, is 6-foot-4, 350 pounds — certainly living up to his “Bear” nickname.
The Camden High football team, to put it bluntly, has some dudes.
At one point on Friday night in the Group 2 state semifinal matchup against Haddonfield, Philadelphia Eagles player Jihaad Campbell — a former Timber Creek High star who was attending the game and standing on the Camden sideline — advised a Bulldawgs cornerback to come up and play press coverage on Pagan. The DB looked at Campbell as if to say, “you crazy?”
Haddonfield had no answers for Camden’s speed and athleticism, as the Panthers built an early three-touchdown lead and cruised to a 37-18 victory, punching their ticket to the state championship game for the first time. Camden will take on Shabazz at 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3 at Rutgers University’s SHI Stadium. The game is scheduled for Wednesday because both teams have Thanksgiving games next week.
“I’m just elated for these guys. They wanted to make history. There’s a lot of great things that have come out of the city of Camden, a lot of great things still coming out of the city of Camden, but they have an opportunity to be a first,” said Camden coach Rob Hinson. “As storied as Camden is in athletics, politics and music, acting — all that stuff — to be a first is significant and special.”
Senior quarterback Ahmad Jones, a transfer from Pleasantville, has been the missing piece Camden needed to get over the hump, as they’ve been thwarted several times in the past few seasons by Delsea Regional. Jones, a three-year starter for the Greyhounds, was forced to sit the first three games as a transfer, then it took him another four games or so to really get going.
Now, he looks unstoppable.
The shifty southpaw completed 16-of-24 passes for more than 200 yards and two touchdowns, and added 53 rushing yards. After Camden jumped out to a 12-0 lead on touchdown runs by Jones and Winslow transfer Roman Duckett in the first quarter, Jones took over in the second, throwing for a pair of touchdown passes in the second quarter that led to Camden taking a commanding 24-6 halftime lead.
“He’s been playing excellent football. We trust in our quarterback and he trusts in us. We run the routes that he tells us and we get it done,” Muhammad said. “We just had to stay together, that’s what it was. Trust in our brother next to us, trust in our coaches, trust in ourselves, and just go out and play ball. We stepped up to the plate and showed everybody what Camden is all about. We have one more game left.”
“We were just trying to spread them out and go athlete vs. athlete with them. Anytime we can go athlete vs. athlete, I like my guys,” Jones said. “It means everything to me. I’ve worked so hard all four years, and just to be in this position means a lot. To go and compete for a state title — knowing that’s everything I’ve wanted — it feels great. Going into practice all week we’re going to have to make sure we’re locked in and that guys are executing plays.
“In practice, it’s just been working with the guys and making sure I get my chemistry right, making sure I’m getting the timing right and throwing good passes,” he added. “It was a lot of work to get the chemistry right, but now that we have it, you can see we’re rolling.”
Since a loss to Winslow in early October, Camden has been on an absolute tear, and a big reason for that is the play of Jones, as well as the running game. The Panthers rushed for 192 yards and three touchdowns against one of the better defenses in Group 2 in the entire state.
“We knew we had to be more disciplined and that’s what we did. We came out here and did our job. We let up a couple of touchdowns, but we fought through adversity and got the ‘W,’” Muhammad said. “It feels good. I keep telling everybody that I’m back, because I won a state championship at Woodbury my freshman year, and now I get to go to one with my other brothers.”
“(Jones) is believing and not pressing, and offensive coordinator Matt Perry is dialing it up right now,” Hinson said. “Ahmad thought he was going to come in and pick right up after he sat and that wasn’t the case. It took him a few games to figure out he had to work his way back into it. Now he’s getting it done.”
Sophomore James Farrell did an admirable job filling in at quarterback for Haddonfield after senior Van Lefakis was injured in the second quarter, rushing for 110 of the Dawgs’ 113 yards on the ground while accounting for all three of his team’s touchdowns.
But in the end, it was too much Camden, and too much Jones.
“Coming in as a freshman and starting, and making the playoffs every year but not being able to make it past the second round, to now, my senior year, everything we’ve worked for we’re getting it now. We’re going to states and it’s a great feeling,” Jones said. “Coach knew, ever since I came in, that this was a group of guys that would be able to get it done. We’ve been working, day in and day out, and the results are showing. Every practice has to be the best practice of the year and we have to come in here locked in. We can’t make mistakes. We have to make sure everything is on point and everything is running how it’s supposed to run.”
