By MARK TRIBLE

South Jersey Glory Days Senior Football Writer

On X @Mtrible

CAMDEN — Drenched in sweat and covered with a smile, Nick Medina stood proud near the far goal line at Farnham Park.

No. 52 in white-and-gold had done the job required. Whether it paid off for himself or others, the senior Holy Spirit linebacker blitzed up the middle on pretty much every play against Camden in the South Jersey Football Frenzy Show Game of the Week.

His persistence and that of his teammates provided a classic Spartans performance. Ranked No. 6 in the Best 11, Spirit downed No. 5 Camden, 23-12.

“We definitely wanted to give them pressure,” Medina, who also plays on the offensive line, said. “We knew they would be a threat in the passing game and their run game, (our coaches) told us where they were going to go.

“So, we just blitzed where we could.”

Medina finished with two of the team’s seven sacks on the night. Matt Abbott, who moved from safety to linebacker this week, also notched a pair. Fellow senior Tommy Innocente rounded out the group with a trio of his own.

Defensive coordinator Charlie Roman called a blitz on every snap of the game. At times, he sent both Medina and Innocente up the A-gap.

While Panthers quarterback Mahki Brunson made his fair share of plays due to escaped pressure, the hits also took a toll.

“That’s who we are, man,” coach Andrew DiPasquale said. “We’re going to try to make you throw the ball quick.

“Credit to their quarterback, he’s a tough kid, a great player and he made plays all night. That’s a good team. But that’s our mentality — bend, don’t break, and make plays. If we can get plays for losses of yards, that’s huge.”

Consistent hurries helped hold down a Camden offense that averaged 37.7 points per game. Offensively, great field position helped the Spartans gain an advantage.

The Panthers (3-1, 1-0 West Jersey Football League Colonial) got off a 23-yard punt from their end zone in the first quarter. Soon after, Jahcere “Pops” Ward punched in a 4th-down run for six.

Medina sacked Brunson to close the next set of downs and a punt from the end zone proved dangerous again for the home side. A bad snap got corralled. The kick was deflected and caught inside the 5-yard line.

Mason Forte nailed a 23-yard kick to make it 10-0 with 11 minutes, 12 seconds left in the second quarter.

The next set of downs proved huge for the visitors. On 3rd-and-10 from its own 11, Spirit (3-1, 1-0 WJFL Constitution) pulled the perfect play out of the book. The Spartans brought frequent target Emmanuel Gerena in short motion and all the defensive eyes went with him.

Quarterback Ty Costabile dropped back and found Abbott wide open down the field.

“I acted like I was blocking, I went and caught it, and I thought I was gone, to be honest,” Abbott said.

He came close, but a speedy defensive back caught the 6-foot-4 Ventnor native at the 7-yard line. Three snaps later, Ward plunged in. Unfortunately for the Spartans, the bruiser of a back took a hit and needed help to leave the field. Ward did not return. DiPasquale said he wasn’t sure of the severity of the injury.

The injury may have been the only downside for the school that trekked 57 miles on Friday.

And after a 35-0 loss in the season opener to No. 1 Millville, Spirit had the look of the team it usually is — tough, smart and resilient.

“I feel like this should show everyone who we really are,” Innocente said. “I think we beat a good team and handled them pretty good.

“This is going to be us for the rest of the season.”

The defense showed its prowess with those seven sacks and two key interceptions in the second half. One came from Gerena. Another in the end zone by Ty Watson put the game away with 6:50 left.

Forte nailed two more field goals to boost the final margin.

“We told the kids, ‘Here’s an opportunity to prove who you are,’” DiPasquale said. “All you can ask for is an opportunity and they got that.

“They made the most of it.”

Mark Trible is the host of the South Jersey Football Frenzy Show. You can check it out every Wednesday at 7 p.m. at facebook.com/sjglorydays. The show features highlights, analysis, rankings and more.