Another year is in the books for South Jersey high school football. Glassboro and Winslow captured their first state championships in Group 1 and Group 4 respectively giving South Jersey two state champions and adding a pair of wins to the South/Central's dominance over the North in the overall tally. There were also many individual achievements and accomplishments throughout the season; we had our first 2,000 passing and 1,000 rushing yard quarterback since 2013, multiple running backs eclipsed the 4,000 career rushing yard mark, and many other accolades.
With the season behind us and lots of players to be recognized, here are my Baker's Dozen awards for the 2024 South Jersey high school football season (Please note; No player can win more than one award):
Coach of the Year/Team of the Year: Bill Belton/Winslow
At least 5-6 candidates had a strong case for the award, making the choice challenging. Ultimately, Winslow and head coach Bill Belton take home the cake. Directing Winslow to an undefeated season and a state championship, Belton had a roster teeming with talent at seemingly every position and made the season look fairly easy to manage. With superstars in Kentucky commit Cam Miller and Boston College commit Marcus Upton headlining the roster, some coaches may not be able to handle or manage so much production up and down the board. As the offensive play-caller, Belton's offense accumulated 4,639 total yards of offense with sophomore quarterback Jalen Parker throwing for 2,916 yards and 43 touchdowns and a stable of running backs who racked up 1,670 yards on the ground. Playing arguably the hardest schedule in South Jersey, and maybe New Jersey, the Eagles cruised by their opponents scoring an average of almost 40 points per game. On defense, the unit collected 43 sacks, 101 tackles for a loss, 20 interceptions, and six forced fumbles. Defensive coordinator Myles Nash rallied his troops to allow just six points per game and about 115 yards per game.
Millville's Lotzeir Brooks runs with the ball in the football game against Holy Spirit played at Egg Harbor Township High School in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey on Friday, August 30, 2024. Joshua Guirguis/D2 Sports Network
Player of the Year: Lotzeir Brooks
The Alabama commit has flourished from the moment he stepped onto a varsity football field in South Jersey. Lotzeir Brooks was just 14 years old when he staked his claim as one of South Jersey's best players. From his first touchdown ever on a kick return at the first-ever Battle at the Beach in 2021 to his last touchdown catch against Thanksgiving rival Vineland as a senior, Brooks etched his name forever into South Jersey football lore. The Tuscaloosa-bound senior holds the New Jersey record for career touchdown receptions (67) and receiving yards with 4,615. In his swan song season, Brooks hauled in 56 catches for 1,260 yards and 16 scores. Playing in 12 out of Millville's 13 games, the Alabama commit averaged 105 receiving yards per game. Also, as talented as Brooks is as a receiver, the senior has had at least two rushing touchdowns in each of his four varsity seasons.
Offensive Player of the Year: Brody Deiter
Coming into the 2024 season, some knew that Brody Deiter had a very high ceiling that had yet to be reached. Now, at the end of the season, many know of Deiter as a top receiver in South Jersey after having his breakout season and taking home South Jersey's receiving yards crown. The senior capped his season with 76 catches for 1,337 yards and 18 touchdowns. After a slow team effort in Rancocas Valley's season opener, the Red Devils hit their stride and so did Deiter. In the second game of the season, the West Chester commit hauled in four catches for 150 yards and a pair of scores which sparked the record-breaking season for the Mount Holly program's receiver. Deiter broke almost every single receiving record for RV setting program highs in career receiving yards, receiving touchdowns, and receptions as well as single-game and season records for receptions, receiving touchdowns, and receiving yards.
Defensive Player of the Year: Brandon Simmons
It's not often a player at the high school level tallies 20 career sacks, even if you're one of the elites. Glassboro's Brandon Simmons racked up 20 sacks in just his junior season setting the school record for sacks in a single season. One of South Jersey's stalwarts in the defensive trenches, Simmons also accumulated 34 tackles for a loss, 122 total tackles, and a pair of fumble recoveries with one being for a touchdown. Shockingly, Simmons only had four multi-sack games out of Glassboro's 13-game slate. His best performance came against Woodbury where he found himself on the stat sheet with six sacks in the 34-0 victory, also breaking a school record for sacks in a single game. In total, Simmons currently sits at 40 career sacks and 77 total tackles for a loss in just three seasons. On average, the junior is on a 1.1 sack per game pace heading into his final season.
Special Teams Player of the Year: Matthew Kilic
Special teams players need love as well in postseason honors. Camden Catholic's Matthew Kilic made a name for himself as a senior for the Irish. With kicking being at an extreme premium in South Jersey, Kilic proved to be the area's best leg in terms of range. Knocking through field goals of 47 and 43 yards against Haddon Heights, the senior was in an echelon of his own being able to consistently hit from 40+ yards out. Kilic also knocked through a 47-yard field goal against Pennsville the week before the Haddon Heights contest. On the eve of Thanksgiving against rival Paul VI, the senior banged through a 39-yard field goal as well as adding an extra point. For the season, Kilic finished 6-for-7 in the field goal category and 37-for-39 for extra points.
Glassboro's Kenny Smith (3) runs behind blockers in the South-Central Group 1 state semifinal against Woodstown at Glassboro High School in Glassboro, New Jersey on Friday, November 22, 2024. Kiersten Cowgill/D2 Sports Network
Group 1 Player of the Year: Kenny Smith
After falling in the 2023 Group 1 state final to Mountain Lakes, it was evident that Glassboro was missing something. That something was a game-changing running back named Kenny Smith. The Hammonton transfer had to miss the first three games due to transfer rules but that was no problem for the senior. Smith hit the ground running from his first carry as a Bulldog to his last 30+ yard carry at MetLife Stadium in the Group 1 state final. In just 10 games, the Monmouth signee ran for 1,809 yards and 23 touchdowns, good for a South Jersey rushing yards title for the season. Smith scored two or more touchdowns in eight of his 10 games while only catching one touchdown pass in that period. In his final game as a member of Glassboro, Smith ran 20 times for 402 yards and four touchdowns in the Group 1 state final as the Bulldogs captured their first state championship. The West Long Branch bound back finished the season averaging 12.9 yards per carry and 7.5 yards per carry for his career.
Camden's Mahki Brunson scrambles with the ball during the football game against Shawnee played at Shawnee High School in Medford, New Jersey on Friday, September 13, 2024. Max Milligan/D2 Sports Network
Group 2 Player of the Year: Mahki Brunson
The dual-threat signal caller Mahki Brunson took his game to the next level after a productive junior season. The senior threw for 1,864 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions while completing 133 of his 235 attempts. On the ground, Brunson rushed for 599 yards and six scores adding to an already steady rushing attack next to junior running back Christian Braxton. For his career, the senior threw for 4,925 yards, 50 touchdowns, and 28 interceptions. Brunson also ran for 1,177 yards and 13 touchdowns in his time between Camden High and Camden Eastside. In eight out of 12 games as a senior, Brunson threw for over 150 yards and at least one touchdown.
Group 3 Player of the Year: John Franchini
Coming into the season, not many knew what to expect of the Mainland football program. John Franchini took matters into his own hands under center and had himself a record-setting season. The junior quarterback set records for all-time passing yards (3,994) and single-season passing yards (2,221). Franchini finished his junior season completing 109 passes for 2,221 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Coming into the season, the underclassman had never thrown for more than 200 yards in a game, Franchini did it four times in 2024. The junior set a career-high in passing yards for a single game came in a 37-6 win over Hammonton throwing for 273 yards and sprinkling in a trio of touchdown passes as well. Luckily for the Linwood program, Franchini returns for another year and also retains his favorite target, Jake Blum, who hauled in 52 passes this past season.
Group 4 Player of the Year: Jalen Parker
A couple of players could make a strong argument for the award but Winslow's Jalen Parker stood out above all. In his first full year as a starter, Parker dazzled in the limelight throwing for 2,916 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions as a sophomore. After a year and a half of starting experience, the sophomore currently sits at 4,427 yards, 64 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions for his career. In nine out of 14 games this year, Parker threw for more than three touchdowns, and in eight games he threw for over 200 yards. In 21 career games, he currently holds a 64% completion percentage.
Rancocas Valley's Sayvien Adams looks on during the football game against Pascack Valley played at Egg Harbor Township High School in Egg Harbor Township, New Jersey on Saturday, August 31, 2024. Joshua Guirguis/D2 Sports Network
Group 5 Player of the Year: Sayvien Adams
Coming from Seattle, Washington to Mount Holly, New Jersey is an adjustment for anyone. Sayvien Adams did just that a year ago and joined the Rancocas Valley football team right before the 2023 training camp. Adams got some run at wide receiver despite being a quarterback by trade. Garrett Lucas' plan came to fruition as Adams won the starting quarterback job heading into the 2024 season. In his first season as the starting quarterback, the junior set the world on fire for a record-breaking season. Adams finished with 2,134 passing yards, 26 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions. On the ground, he rushed for 1,036 yards and eight scores becoming the first player to throw for 2,000 yards and run for 1,000 yards since 2013. After all was said and done, Adams now holds the single-season passing yards record, passing touchdowns record, and total touchdowns record for the storied program.
Non-Public Offensive Player of the Year: Daulton Phalines
Finding a new home in the Eagles nest, Daulton Phalines fit right into Paul VI after transferring from Clearview. After splitting time as a sophomore, Phalines found his groove as the full-time starter at Paul VI. The junior threw for 1,541 yards, 11 touchdowns, and three interceptions while completing 57% of his passes. In his first game as an Eagle, Phalines went 11-for-16 for 116 yards and a score through the air in Paul VI's 42-7 season-opening victory. In seven of the Eagles' 11 games, the junior threw for over 100 yards with six of them including a touchdown. Phalines' best performance came in a division-clinching game against Seneca where he threw for 347 yards and three scores completing 10 of his 14 passing attempts in a 34-6 win. The junior is also a very talented basketball player where he currently sits at 594 career points in just two seasons and should be a very valuable piece to Paul VI basketball coach Tony Devlin's squad.
Non-Public Defensive Player of the Year: Moe Keshen
Arguably the top linebacker in all of South Jersey, Moe Keshen was feared by every offense he lined up against. In his senior season, Keshen finished the year with 133 total tackles, five sacks, and 24 tackles for a loss. In all but one game, the senior tallied double-digit tackles with his largest sum coming against St. Augustine where he totaled 18 total tackles, a sack, and three tackles for a loss. The Monmouth signee also racked up at least one tackle for a loss in every game and picked up multiple in eight of 11 total games. Keshen also forced a trio of fumbles. As a four-year contributor, the senior ended his career with 10 sacks, 33 tackles for a loss, and 258 total tackles.
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