The Camden High School football team enters the field prior to the football game between Camden and Timber Creek played at Timber Creek Regional High School in Gloucester Township on Monday, October 13, 2025. Camden defeated Timber Creek, 12-0.Tom McGurk, Cherry Hill Courier-PostTue, November 25, 2025 at 10:14 AM UTC·2 min readBasketball has always been king in the city of Camden.
Thirteen state titles in boys' basketball backs up that fact.
However, Camden football has been on the rise in recent years and the Panthers have an opportunity to make history in their next game when The High plays for a state championship.
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State Group 2 Final
Camden (10-2) vs. Shabazz (11-1)
(Both teams are scheduled to play regular-season games on Thanksgiving)
When: Dec. 3, 5 p.m.
Where: SHI Stadium, Rutgers University, Piscataway
Coaches: Camden-Rob Hinson; Shabazz-Nasir Gaines.
How they got here: Camden-Voorhees, 53-0; Manasquan, 46-6; Wall, 43-7; Haddonfield, 37-18. Shabazz-Lyndhurst, 46-7; Rutherford, 47-0; Madison, 26-16; Westwood, 36-6.
State titles: Camden 0; Shabazz 0.
By the numbers
20 – Touchdown passes for Camden’s Ahmad Jones – all of which have come in his last five games. He’s also thrown for 249 yards or more in all five of those games, including a season-best 340 against Voorhees in the opening round of the postseason. Jones has two interceptions on the season, one in each of his last two contests.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement39 – Wins for Camden under Hinson. The Panthers are 39-11 since Hinson took the program over in 2022, including three sectional titles.
17.5 – Sacks for Camden defensive tackle Jerome Foster. The 5-foot-9, 250-pound senior has eight sacks and 11 tackles for loss in the postseason. As a team, the Panthers have feasted on opposing quarterbacks with 53 total sacks.
1,046 – Total offensive yards for Camden’s Ibn Muhammad. The senior has racked up 584 of those yards in four postseason games.
9 – Consecutive wins for Shabazz before it heads into its Thanksgiving Day matchup with Weequahic.
8 – Games that Shabazz has held opponents to seven or fewer points. The team has registered four shutouts, including one in the postseason.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement1 – Previous trip to the state final for Shabazz. The Bulldogs lost a 26-24 decision to Rumson in last season’s Group 2 final at Rutgers. Shabazz had two leads in the game.
Predictions
Tom Rimback: How much fun is this one going to be? Both teams are averaging more than 40 in their last five wins. Still, the Panthers should prevail, 43-30.
Tom McGurk: Size plus speed plus athleticism plus experience equals state champion. Look for Camden to use the formula for its first state crown. Camden wins, 26-16.
Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 35 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him by email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Camden football gets its opportunity to play for the program's first state title
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