Point Boro uses all-time defensive performance to shut down Camden and win South Jersey Group 2 title

All the focus was on the high-octane offenses of Point Boro and Camden ahead of Friday night’s NJSIAA South Jersey Group 2 sectional final. Two units that average over 30 points and upwards of 400 yards per game figured to combine for a high-scoring thriller with a championship on the line.

Instead, Point Boro’s defense delivered an all-time performance to secure another sectional championship for the Panthers.

Sophomore slotback Nick Spanola and senior fullback Dylan Reitmeyer ran for touchdowns in the first quarter and Point Boro’s defense made it stand by holding two-time defending champion Camden to 211 yards of offense and forcing two turnovers as the Panthers won 15-7 to take home the South Jersey Group 2 sectional crown.

Point Boro held Camden to just 38 yards rushing and limited talented quarterback Makhi Brunson to 173 yards passing with one touchdown and one interception. Senior defensive lineman Nick Albanese had a career night with three sacks, senior linebacker Colin Obser recorded a safety, sophomore defensive back Jake Clayton intercepted a pass, and Spanola forced a fumble that junior James Bradley recovered with five minutes to play.

“Just an unbelievable job by our defense, they played out of their minds and brought pressure all night,” Point Boro head coach Brian Staub said. “We were sending five or six on pretty much every play with Obser on the outside or Reitmeyer from the inside. It was their job to get pressure and the five or six in the back end did their job.”

With Camden out of timeouts following Bradley’s fumble recovery. Point Boro needed a first down to clinch the championship on a 4th-and-2 from the Camden 40-yard line with 28 seconds left. The handoff went to Reitmeyer, who powered ahead close to the marker. The officials brought out the chains for a measurement, and the Point Boro sideline erupted when the referee signaled first down.

“We knew if we got it, it was over, so we trusted our O-line and our workhorse Dylan Reitmyer,” Staub said. “It was a double option on the play so credit to Jake Clayton for making the right read.”

After losing in the sectional final last season and falling in the semifinals two years ago, the Panthers earned redemption to claim the program’s fifth sectional title and first since 2021.

“It’s great,” Staub said. “We’ve had a great four years but if you don’t win it all it doesn’t feel great. We have extremely high standards and so do our players and the community. This senior class is 28-5 but didn’t have a ring, so that was being talked about back in June. I can’t say enough about this whole group.”

Point Boro (10-2) jumped out to a 6-0 lead when Spanola took a pitch and raced 30 yards for a touchdown. The visiting Panthers then put together another scoring drive that ended with Reitmeyer punching it in from the 4-yard line for a 13-0 lead with 8:08 left in the first half.

Camden got on the board less than two minutes later when Brunson fired a 33-yard touchdown pass to Ibn Muhammad. But instead of that being a spark for the host Panthers’ offense, it was just a blip on the radar. While Point Boro had trouble closing out drives, it controlled the clock with its triple-option offense and kept Camden’s dangerous offense off the field. And when Point Boro’s offense did get stopped, the defense bailed it out.

Point Boro was set to extend its lead with a goal-to-go situation in the third quarter but Camden stuffed them on 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Shortly after, Camden completed a pass to a wide receiver at the 5-yard line, and after he broke a tackle he ran backward into the end zone trying to extend the play where Obser tackled him for a safety and a 15-7 Point Boro lead with 6:56 left in the third quarter.

Point Boro’s defense continued to come up with clutch plays, including stopping Camden on downs at the Point Boro 19-yard line in the fourth quarter. After Bradley’s fumble recovery, Point Boro’s offense drained the rest of the clock to clinch a coveted sectional championship.

Now comes a huge rematch in the Group 2 semifinals. Point Boro, ranked No. 3 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12, will travel to Borden Stadium next Friday to face No. 2 Rumson, which won its third straight sectional title with a 38-14 win over Wall in the Central Jersey Group 2 title game. Point Boro and Rumson meet in Week 1 with the Bulldogs scoring a 42-28 win. The Panthers have been hoping for a second chance ever since, and now they have it.

“We have so much respect for that program and we’re friendly with their coaching staff,” Staub said. “We think it’s going to be an awesome game. We don’t think we’re the same team from Week 1 and they’re probably saying the same thing. We’re excited for it.”