NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 Football Sectional Final Preview: Point Boro vs. Camden
SOUTH JERSEY GROUP 2 CHAMPIONSHIP
WHO: 2-Point Boro (9-2) at 1-Camden (8-2)
WHEN: Friday, Nov. 15 at 6 p.m.
WHERE: Farnham Park – Camden HS Athletic Fields; Camden High Athletic Fields; 1900 Park Blvd
POINT BORO’S ROAD TO THE FINAL: Defeated Gloucester City 41-13 in the quarterfinals; defeated Manchester 49-14 in the semifinals.
CAMDEN’S ROAD TO THE FINAL: Defeated Middle Township 46-13 in the quarterfinals; defeated Willingboro 41-6 in the semifinals.
POINT BORO’S BEST WINS: 30-14 over Donovan Catholic; 34-24 over Jackson Memorial; 27-24 over Central Jersey Group 4 finalist Brick Memorial; 38-6 over Howell; 49-14 over Manchester.
CAMDEN’S BEST WINS: 30-0 over Kingsway; 44-3 over South Jersey Group 4 finalist Shawnee; 44-27 over South Jersey Group 5 finalist Rancocas Valley; 41-6 over Willingboro.
PLAYOFF HISTORY: Point Boro is appearing in its third sectional final in the last four seasons and will be trying to win its fifth sectional title in program history. Its last title came in 2021 and they also won championships in 2005 and in 1977 and 1978 under Hall of Fame head coach Al Saner, who is the namesake of Point Boro’s home field. This will be Point Boro’s 10th appearance in a sectional final. They hold a 23-16 all-time postseason record…Camden is a back-to-back returning sectional champion after winning the Central Jersey Group 3 title each of the last two seasons. They also reached sectional finals in 2019, 2018 and 2015. Fun fact: the last time Point Boro and Camden met in the state playoffs was when Point Boro won 43-0 in the 2005 South Jersey Group 2 final to complete a 12-0 season.
Analysis: Two teams with contrasting styles will clash on Friday night when the Camden Panthers and the Point Pleasant Boro Panthers square up in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 sectional final.
Point Boro’s identity is its Flexbone offense and a punishing triple-option run game that has rushed for 3,223 yards and 47 touchdowns on an average of 7.9 yards per carry. The Panthers have one of the top offenses in the Shore Conference averaging just under 37 points per game. Point Boro’s Cerberus is comprised of sophomore quarterback Jake Clayton, senior fullback Dylan Reitmeyer and sophomore slotback Nick Spanola, who have combined for 2,341 yards and 39 touchdowns.
Clayton is a dynamic athlete and three-sport standout (wrestling, baseball) who has excelled in his first season as Point Boro’s quarterback after a very good freshman season where he played slot back and started on defense. He has rushed for 843 yards and 17 touchdowns on an average of 8.3 yards per carry. He rarely throws the ball with just 26 attempts all season, but he has been efficient with 299 yards and seven touchdowns to only one interception. Reitmeyer is the battering ram as a prototypical ‘A’ back in the Flexbone and has rushed for 942 yards and 17 touchdowns. He is very hard to bring down on initial contact and does a great job keeping his legs churning and moving the pile to pick up extra yards. Spanola has really come on strong in the second half of the season to give Point Boro a big-play threat on the edge. Making it all come together is an offensive line led by seniors Tanner Hynes and Lou Dibiase that plays with a physical edge.
Point Boro senior fullback Dylan Reitmeyer. (Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com).
Point Boro’s ability to shorten the game with its offense is significant. They took undefeated Toms River North to the wire in a 24-21 loss in late September, so they have the blueprint to counter an explosive offense on the other side.
Playing assignment football will be critical for Camden. Overcommit or overpursue and Point Boro will make them pay with chunk plays on the ground and drain the clock. A drive of 10-plus plays that kills over five minutes and ends with a touchodwn can be demoralizing for teams and Point Boro is banking on doing that to Camden on Friday night. Senior On’Jae Williams leads Camden with 8.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss, and Camden’s ability to create negative plays will also be crucial to get Point Boro behind the sticks and force them into third-and-long situations. Camden has nine interceptions but that strength is mostly nullified against Point Boro’s run-heavy offense.
Camden’s offense is dynamic with over 1,600 yards passing and 21 touchdowns and over 2,400 yards rushing and 23 touchdowns. Senior quarterback Makhi Brunson is a dual-threat with 1,688 yards passing and 21 touchdowns plus 542 yards rushing and six touchdowns. He has thrown 10 interceptions, however, five of which have occurred in Camden’s two losses. Senior Malik Redd-Hubbard is the Panthers’ leading receiver with 34 catches for 651 yards and 11 touchdowns while senior D’Hani Cobbs has 32 catches for 381 yards and a score. Juniors Ibn Muhammad and Wasi Muhammad are the other main targets with 17 and 14 receptions, respectively.
Point Boro’s main weakness on defense over the past few seasons has been against passing teams taking deep shots down the field, so that is certainly something to watch for versus Camden. Point Boro did have a strong game versus a Toms River North team with a more prolific aerial attack, so they have proven they can slow down a team with dangerous receivers this year.
Camden averages 245 yards rushing per game and is led by junior running back Christian Braxton, who has rushed for 1,078 yards and 10 touchdowns. He had 71 yards and a touchdown in the semifinals and 171 yards and three touchdowns in the quarterfinals. Junior Jaiden Stelle has 570 yards and five touchdowns as the second option at running back.
Point Boro’s defense allows an average of 17.1 points per game and is led by senior linebacker Colin Obser and DiBiase along the defensive line. A returning All-Shore selection, Obser has a team-high 111 tackles with 1 sack, 5 tackles for loss, 4 forced fumbles, an interception and a safety. Despite having to sit out the first three games after transferring from Donovan Catholic, DiBiase leads the team with six sacks and eight tackles for loss. Hynes is another key player in the front seven for Point Boro along with Dylan Reitmeyer at linebacker and Clayton, Spanola and Jacob Reitmeyer in the secondary. Clayton and Spanola each have two interceptions to lead the team.
Point Boro senior defensive lineman Lou DiBiase. (Bob Badders | rpbphotography.com).
On special teams, sophomore Jack Sullivan is 48-for-50 on extra points and has kicked three field goals with a long of 35 yards. Camden’s kicking game has been inconsistent at best on extra points and the Panthers have not attempted a field goal all year.
The formula for Point Boro will be the same as it is every game. If the Panthers’ offense is operating on full tilt and producing long, time-consuming scoring drives they will be hoisting another sectional title. If not, the Point Boro defense will have to come up with some key stops and try to force turnovers against a high-scoring Camden offense. Both teams have played great schedules and faced some of the best teams in New Jersey. They are as battle-tested as any Group 2 teams in the state. All that’s left is to settle it on the field with a state sectional title at stake.
The pick: Point Boro, 31-26
