Woodbury High School football team becomes 1st public state champion in New Jersey history

PISCATAWAY – “First ever!”

Jamal White, the Woodbury High School football team’s offensive coordinator, shouted those words over and over as the clock ticked away on the inaugural Group 1 state final on Saturday afternoon.

There would be four other state champions crowned over the weekend, and many more will be in the years to come, but the Thundering Herd will forever be the first.

Woodbury took home the first golden trophy ever awarded to a public football program after scoring 31 unanswered points in the second half to rally past Mountain Lakes 31-7 at SHI Stadium at Rutgers University.

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“It’s unreal,” head coach Anthony Reagan said. “I truly thank God for it because of the fact that it happened with Woodbury. There’s so many legends that came through our program, and for this team to establish itself as a state champion, it’s just amazing.”

So is the story behind the journey. It involved a promise, a reminder, a blacktop and the best half of football the team has played all season.

The promise

Derron Moore’s grandmother, Gloria Staton, passed away exactly one year ago Saturday.

Before she died, he promised her the Thundering Herd were going to defeat Salem in the Group 1 regional final at Rutgers. They lost 34-8 on Dec. 5.

“I was hurt,” Moore said. “We didn’t come out on top.”

Moore carried his words to her for an entire year. Staton has been in his heart every time he put on his Woodbury uniform. He told her he was going to win a state championship, and Moore fulfilled those words Saturday.

He punished ballcarriers with brutal hits for four quarters.

He delivered arguably the play of the game as he forced a fumble and recovered it one play after Mountain Lakes intercepted a pass, preserving a 12-7 lead with 9:33 left. The Thundering Herd scored on the ensuing drive and never looked back.

Moore was credited with 11 tackles, 2 for loss, 2 forced fumbles and 2 fumble recoveries, yet those gaudy stats don’t seem to do his performance justice.

“I’m going to put on my best for you,” he told her at halftime. “I felt her presence the whole game, during the rain, it was her falling on me, saying her blessing on me and I’m washing my sins away and all that.”

After Moore got into the end zone for the game’s final TD, a 1-yard plunge with 2:34 left, he took a knee and pointed to the sky.

As his team celebrated with the trophy and banner, he was crying in the arms of a coach. This game was for Staton.

“I’m so glad she was here today,” he said. “I know she was here. I know she was looking down and I know I made her happy.”

The reminder

Anthony Reagan Jr. looked like he was off to the races.

In a first quarter devoid of offense, the Woodbury tailback broke free on a 26-yard run, but he was caught from behind by Marco Dzamba and fumbled.

As he approached the sideline, his head coach got in close. Anthony Reagan has always kept the father/coach relationship professional on the field, but Reagan became a parent in that moment.

“I reminded him from when he was a youth playing with the GT stallions and was playing against Monroe and DJ Wagner in the championship, and in that situation there, he fumbled twice in the first half in the championship game and turned around and was MVP,” Reagan said. “I reminded him from his youth that we’ve been here before and you’re capable of having greatness on this field, trusting yourself and be great.”

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Reagan Jr. did that.

He ran 27 times for 214 yards and 2 touchdowns. His 39-yard scamper on the second play of the third quarter set up Bryan Johnson’s 19-yard touchdown to Ibn Muhammad to close the gap to 7-6. The score breathed air into the team.

“Now it’s game on,” Reagan Jr. said.

Reagan Jr. did almost no wrong the final two quarters, though one mistake will stick with him.

As the final seconds ticked away, he and junior Bryant Banks attempted to give their head coach a Gatorade bucket bath, but missed, sending ice and water onto the turf.

“I’m kind of mad about that,” he laughed. “I was trying to get it on his head.”

The blacktop

Woodbury’s gym has been out of commission for the last several months.

The team had no access to its locker room or the weight room.

Their training began this season on the blacktop in 100-degree summer weather.

Those days were brutal.

“We was doing (work) like we was in the military,” Reagan Jr. said. “Everybody was complaining.”

However, those practices were the backbone of their success.

“Jump ropes and barbells, we didn’t really have water sometimes, it was just hard work and hard work truly pays off,” Moore said. “I’m so proud of these guys.”

“We knew we was getting here,” Reagan Jr. added about their motivation during those tough days. “We was telling everybody we in December right now. First practice we was in December. We’ve been here already, we was just catching up.”

The best half of the season

The saying goes defense wins championships, and the Thundering Herd’s D delivered two quarters of football Saturday that won’t ever be forgotten in Woodbury.

Moore laid players out. The defensive line of JaSuan Solomon, Nyrell Redrow, Marcellis Johnson and Avari Morton destroyed Mountain Lakes line on seemingly every play.

Jayden Johnson had an interception, Wilson Torres had a 33-yard pick-6 and Moore forced a fumble. They allowed just 28 yards from scrimmage.

“Our whole mantra was last one best one,” Reagan said. “… This was by far the best half of football this team has played this season.”

Solomon went one step further.

“It was the best defensive game we played all year,” said the sophomore, who had 6 tackles, 2 for loss, and a sack. “Our work this week at practice was different. We had the cold and the rain, not having lights, it was like we had so much to do get done and so little time, that makes you want to work better. That makes you want to be great.”

And that’s exactly what Woodbury was.

“We always talk about being great, moving from good to great and this was this,” he said. “At the beginning of the week we was like 'Gr,' as a joke, and it started out on the blacktop in the summer time, our grind has been (on since then). What we got, we had to work for, everything. We really had to work for (everything) and that means a lot just to have this moment, to be the first ever to do it.”

Josh Friedman has produced award-winning South Jersey sports coverage for the Courier Post, The Daily Journal and the Burlington County Times for more than a decade. If you have or know of an interesting story to tell, reach out on Twitter at @JFriedman57 or via email at jfriedman2@gannettnj.com. You can also contact him at 856-486-2431. Help support local journalism with a subscription.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Woodbury wins first ever public high school football state title