Expectations were extremely high, and rightfully so.
Anything less than playing for a second-straight Group 1 state championship would have certainly been characterized as a major disappointment. This group returned a ton of talent and added a few new exciting pieces.
It was built to score, to defend at a high level and ultimately add another piece of hardware to the trophy case.
| 11/30 - 12:00 PM Football | Final |
|---|
| Cedar Grove | 14 |
| Glassboro | 29 |
Glassboro, No. 9 in the statewide NJ.com Top 20, accomplished all it set out to do in 2025. No one took the bite out of the Bulldogs.
With Amari Sabb and JoJo DeLeece scoring two touchdowns apiece, and its defense generating 10 sacks, Glassboro defeated Cedar Grove, 29-14, in the NJSIAA/Xfinity Group 1 state final Sunday at Rutgers’ SHI Stadium.
“No matter who you’re playing, you never play down to the competition. We always knew what the goal was. We went hard at practice and this was the outcome,” said Sabb, who helped Glassboro hold a 14-0 halftime lead - opening the scoring with a 3-yard pass from Jack O’Connell and later adding an electrifying 78-yard TD catch where he broke a host of tackles.
“We had to come out with a hot start. We knew they were going to come out looking for revenge. We really haven’t come out with a hot start all season, so to start the game like that was big.”
Making its third-straight appearance in the state finals, which started for public schools in 2022, Glassboro finished 14-0 and extended its current state-best winning streak to 27 games. The matchup was a rematch of last year’s final at MetLife Stadium, where Kenny Smith ran for 402 yards and four touchdowns in a 56-14 victory.
“They were ready for a war; they were ready for a fight. Cedar Grove gave their best effort and we were able to answer that,” said third-year Glassboro coach Timmy Breaker, who owns a 36-4 career record at his alma mater.
Said senior lineman Brandon Simmons, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year: “We knew what we were doing. We just had to execute. That’s been the thing all year and we did that.”
Glassboro finished with 392 yards of offense, 275 coming on the ground. DeLeece collected a game-high 137 yards on 12 carries - scoring on runs of 69 and 44 yards in the third quarter. The second TD run gave the Bulldogs a 29-7 cushion.
“Obviously, it’s a big game. The main thing is to win, but you always want to make impact,” said DeLeece, who raised his season total to 1,003 yards and 14 TDs. “You always want to have something that you can say, ‘I did this during the game,’ and being able to come out here … The moment I got an opportunity, I knew it was my time to make a play.”
On the other side, Glassboro proved tenacious on defense. Cedar Grove finished with 148 yards through the air and minus-16 on the ground.
Maurice Davis Jr. led the way with two sacks, while Simmons had 1 1/2 to finish the season with 26 1/2 overall.
“Just doing my job,” said Davis, a junior. “We play as a group. We always felt like our defense was the strongest part of our team because we’ve been playing since we were little.
“The chemistry has always been there. The D-line, we’ve always been dominant.”
Kenny Johnson, Amon Wright, Tyler Bright, Dorian Kelsey and Rhyan DiPensa were also in on at least one sack.
“That right there is the staple,” Breaker said. “They’re coming right at you. If the quarterback holds the ball one or two seconds, then you probably have half a second to get that ball off. They love it; they love the physicality. They love being the guys to make the plays and they compete within each other.”
Cedar Grove (10-4) made things interesting in the second half before Glassboro was able to put it away.
Pierce Asfalg (13-of-21, 148 yards) connected with Michael Cantarelli on a 17-yard touchdown at the 7:48 mark of the third to make it a 14-7 game.
The Panthers later added a second score when Jerry Targia recovered a fumble in the end zone with 6:05 left.
“These guys accomplished a ton,” Cedar Grove coach Rob Gogerty said. “Cedar Grove has never won a back-to-back sectional title. That was the goal and we wanted to back here.
“I wanted to be back here. I don’t think I did a good job coaching in this game last year. The one thing I want to say is that if you’re a Cedar Grove kid and you don’t want to do what these guys just did this year and today, I don’t know what you’re looking for. I’d go to war and fight to the end with all of these guys.”
Reaching its third-straight state final and coming away with the last two, Glassboro has established itself as a giant in Group 1. The quest for a three-peat is already on its mind.
“This is a football program,” Breaker said. “They’re going to go back on Monday and we’ll be in the weight room. They don’t take any time off and have always been like that.
“They love that challenge and are talking about next year already. We’ll go back to the drawing board on Monday. That’s the culture we have. We were able to build it and now you see a program. The guys are bought it and as a coach you couldn’t ask for much more.”
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