Delsea rides defense, run game to South Jersey 3 title
While many of his classmates were counting the moments until the last game of their careers, Delsea senior quarterback Quinn Collins was doing some math homework on Friday night.
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While many of his classmates were counting the moments until the last game of their careers, Delsea senior quarterback Quinn Collins was doing some math homework on Friday night.
"I told the seniors, 'I did some calculus, and we've put 3,500 hours into this game over four years,' " Collins said. "That's lifting, running, practice, film study. That's how much we put into this game. That's why we were going to win this game."
Delsea took control in the second half, following a burly offensive line and powerful running game to a 21-12 victory over Camden in the South Jersey Group 3 title game on Saturday at Rowan University.
Senior wing back Chris Bascomb ran for one touchdown and caught a pass for another and senior safety James Chukwurah led a sturdy defense as Delsea (11-1) won its fourth straight sectional title.
The Crusaders became the first South Jersey team above the Group 1 level to win four sectional titles in a row. Overall, the title was the 13th for Delsea, and its eighth under coach Sal Marchese.
"I'm really happy for these kids," Marchese said. "They paid their dues. They paid their dues in the offseason and they paid their dues during the season. They deserve it."
Camden (9-3) got strong work from senior all-purpose Brad Hawkins, who caught four passes for 37 yards and a touchdown and also made several tackles as a defensive back.
"Everybody always wants to win a championship, but I'm proud of these guys," Camden coach Dwayne Savage said. "They played hard. But we just couldn't get the ball away from them.
"Delsea did what Delsea does."
The Crusaders controlled the football and the clock after intermission, holding a 191-19 edge in yards while maintaining possession for nearly 20 of the second half's 24 minutes.
Delsea got hard running from junior fullback Rashaad Williams and junior wing back Charles Walker as well as Collins, who rushed seven times for 53 yards in the second half.
Collins gained 19 yards and produced three first downs on three quarterback sneaks.
"The heart and soul of our football team is our offense line," Marchese said. "Those are such tough kids, such committed kids. They set the tone for us every year."
Collins also credited the team's offensive line.
"The biggest five reasons we win football games: Tyler Kelly, Miles Lindsay, Brad Smith, Bailey Lenny, and Marc Chaney," Collins said, naming the team's five offensive linemen. "That's how we win football games."
Delsea's ball-control left Camden with just two possessions in the second half. The Panthers ran 11 plays for 19 yards.
"We knew a lot of their big guys went both ways," Marchese said. "We wanted them to go side-to-side in the first half and then run right at them in the second half."
With the score tied, 12-12, Delsea took the second-half kickoff and unfurled a 14-play drive that ended with junior Brad Dobzanski's 26-yard field goal for a 15-12 lead.
After Miles' sack led to a Camden three-and-out, Delsea went 71 yards in 12 plays and took a 21-12 lead when Bascomb went 8 yards into the end zone on a counter.
"They caught us on a couple of misdirections," Savage said.
Delsea's final drive consumed the game's final five minutes, 16 seconds and ended with Collins' kneeling out the last play, then joining his teammates in celebration.
"It was so worth it," Collins said of the time invested by Delsea's seniors. "It's like Christmas morning."
Camden 6 6 0 0 - 12
Delsea 0 12 3 6 - 21
C: Brad Hawkins 7 pass from Drew Harris (kick fail)
D: Rashaad Williams 1 run (kick fail)
C: Harris 7 run (pass fail)
D: Chris Bascomb 24 pass from Quinn Collins (kick fail)
D: FG Brad Dobzanski 26
D: Bascomb 8 run (kick fail)
@PhilAnastasia