By MARK TRIBLE
South Jersey Glory Days Senior Football Writer
On X @Mtrible
PISCATAWAY — Here at SHI Stadium on an icy cold night, the seconds ticked away and Camden coach Rob Hinson put up the hood on his purple sweatshirt.
He knew the ice bath would cover him soon.
It did, just like it had for four other South Jersey coaches in the previous four public school state finals since Black Friday.
By virtue of the Panthers’ 27-8 triumph over Newark’s Malcolm X. Shabazz in the Group 2 championship, the precedent for the lower half of the Garden State got set in public school football. Five-for-Five. Clean Sweep. A fistful of gold.
Make no mistake, the top teams — the Non-Public behemoths — still reside in the North. The best public schools do not.
The lights went out here Wednesday on a precedent-setting season for South Jersey and its West Jersey Football League. No matter what happens in future years at this stage, the bar for an incredible last stage performance has been raised.
Many in the area wondered last week if it were possible. They thought Sunday’s participants would be heavy favorites — Glassboro in Group 1 and Winslow in Group 4. Those two sought back-to-back crowns. Little did anyone know that the Bulldogs and Eagles would win by smaller margins than any of the other three champs.
Washington Township kicked off the stretch with a 31-12 win over Passaic Tech last Friday. The Minutemen trailed 6-3 into the third quarter before they broke loose — partly in thanks to Jaylen Robinson’s infrequent, yet potent run game. The linebacker finished with an incredible 122 yards and three touchdowns on just six carries.
It capped a perfect 14-0 for coach Mike Schatzman, who resurrected his hometown program and restored it to the community stronghold it once was under Tom Brown’s leadership.
Next up came Cedar Creek, a club many saw as an underdog to undefeated Old Tappan. The Pirates were tied 0-0 after the first quarter. Then, Aamir Dunbar, Frenchmon Bethea, Jahmir Campfield and Gyan King showed off the talent that got them to the final stage with wild wins against Mainland and Holmdel. Those victories were Cinderella-story type of finishes. This one was not.
Coach Jimmy Melody’s Pirates blew past the Golden Knights to a 34-7 final.
In Sunday’s title games, Glassboro fought past a Cedar Grove unit that played much better than it had a year ago. The same could be said for Winslow, who found Ramapo more game than its foe in 2024.
Still, both prevailed by two scores. The Bulldogs by a 29-14 count, the Eagles took it 34-21.
When there were no state championships in public football, the lone representations South Jersey had on a statewide scale were private schools. Most of the time, they were no match for the North Jersey counterparts. Thus far, that has not changed.
But the theme of discussion for many centered around a hope for public state championships so the long proud and powerful programs down south could show what they had. This year is what those fans, coaches and players longed for.
It is only one year, but it will always look the same in history books no matter how much time goes by.
For those in South Jersey, 2025 will be a time they look back on with fond remembrance. Myself included.
