On the chilly night of November 15th at Farnham Park, the Point Boro football team was crowned South Jersey Group 2 champions after defeating Camden 15-7.
The game started with Camden getting the ball first. Camden’s offensive had been one of the most explosive in the state, with quarterback Mahki Brunson and running back Christian Braxton having over 3,000 total yards combined on the year. However, Point Boro’s defense was not intimidated. Powered behind a huge Nick Albanese sack, Camden was forced to punt on their first drive. Boro, now having the ball, rolled down the field and scored off a big Nick Spanola run. Despite actually making the kick, the referees ruled Jack Sullivan’s extra point no good, and Boro had an early 6-0 lead.
Entering the second quarter, Boro had the ball, still with a 6-0 lead. However, that changed quickly. Backed behind a huge drive and touchdown from running back Dylan Reitmeyer, the Panthers took a 13-0 lead. All the momentum was on Boro’s side, but just for a short moment. Just two minutes later, Brunson hit wide reciever Ibn Muhammad for a 33-yard passing touchdown. And just like that, it was 13-7. Trading the next few drives, there was no success for either team, and it was still 13-7 going into halftime.
At the beginning of the third quarter, the defensive battle remained the same as both teams were exchanging drives with no one scoring points. About midway through the third quarter, Camden’s defense came up with a fourth down goal line stop. With their offense now on the field on the one-yard line, Camden had some work to do. On first down, Brunson hit wide reciever Malik Reed on a short hitch route, hoping to give themselves some breathing room. However, Jake Clayton and Colin Obser had other plans as Reed was thrown into the end zone and tackled for a safety, putting the Panthers up 15-7. Everyone on Boro’s sideline was going crazy and the crowd started to feel that victory was almost in their hands.
As the game moved into the fourth quarter, both defenses were playing amazing. The Point Boro defense continued to suffocate Brunson, making it hard for Camden to move the ball. On the other side, Boro was having a little trouble driving down the field like usual as Camden was doing a pretty good job filling up the gaps.
As the game clock dwindled down, Boro had the ball with just under two minutes left. Needing to convert a first down, the ring was theirs. Camden got three stops in a row, causing a fourth down and one for Boro. Coach Staub kept the offense out there and Boro was going for it.
If Boro got the first down, the game was over. Everybody was out of their seats and the Camden band was matching the energy of the crowd. Reitmeyer got the ball and ran straight through the pile, getting the first down! All Boro had to do now was wait for time to expire and then they could celebrate. As the horn sounded, everybody went crazy!
For the first time since 2021, the Panthers are South Jersey Group 2 Champions!
