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Who was the South Jersey High School Football Star of Week 0? Cast your vote here

josh friedman, cherry hill courier-post
·3 min read
Hammonton's Kenny Smith exits the field after Hammonton defeated St. John Vianney, 35-0, in a Battle at the Beach football game played in Ocean City, NJ on Friday, August 25, 2023.
Hammonton's Kenny Smith exits the field after Hammonton defeated St. John Vianney, 35-0, in a Battle at the Beach football game played in Ocean City, NJ on Friday, August 25, 2023.

The first week of high school football is officially in the books.

What South Jersey players shined on the gridiron in Week 0?

Here are the top 15 performances from the last three days. Cast your vote for the top effort below.

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Top Performances Week 0

Ryan Bender, Cherokee. Marlton quarterback had 19 carries for 71 yards and 3 touchdowns as Cherokee upset Winslow, No. 4 in the South Jersey Mean 15 rankings, 22-19 on Friday.

Shakur Carter, Collingswood. Carter had 3 catches for 40 yards, including an 11-yard score, and a pair of interceptions as the Panthers shut out Maple Shade 34-0 at the Battle at the Beach in Ocean City on Sunday.

Baron Davis, Burlington Twp. Davis was 13-of-17 for 143 yards, 2 touchdowns and an interception and ran 19 times for 95 yards and 2 more TDs as the Falcons edged Moorestown 32-27 on Friday.

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Fatim Diggs, Eastside. Diggs had 9.5 tackles, a quarterback hurry and a game-sealing sack as the Tigers upset Irvington, No. 11 in the first-ever USA TODAY NETWORK New Jersey Top 20 public-school rankings, Irvington 6-0 on Friday.

Richard Gibson, Absegami. Gibson had 16 carries for 118 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 26-14 win over Lacey on Friday.

Dymear Hill, Burlington City. Hill had 3 receptions for 105 yards and 2 touchdowns and forced a fumble, which he returned 72 yards to pay dirt as the Blue Devils defeated Penns Grove 33-22 on Friday.

Michael Lewis, Triton. Lewis was 10-of-13 passing for 209 yards and 2 touchdowns and had 11 carries for 82 yards and another score in the Mustangs’ 19-14 victory over Cherry Hill East on Friday.

Bruce Magladry, Eastern. Magladry made 11 tackles, including 4 for loss, as the Vikings defeated Cherry Hill West 27-21 on Friday.

Joe Papa, Shawnee. The Medford quarterback had a hand in five touchdowns as Shawnee downed Northern Burlington 48-21 on Friday. Papa was 6-of-15 passing for 134 yards, 2 scores and an interception, and he ran 12 times for 119 yards and 3 touchdowns.

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Tommy Popoff, Kingsway. Popoff’s first varsity start couldn’t have gone much better as he led the Dragons’ to a 45-0 win over Egg Harbor Township on Friday. He was 11-of-15 passing for 239 yards and 4 TDs and ran 9 times for 31 yards and another score.

Patrick Ryan, Haddonfield. Ryan recorded 16 tackles, 1 for loss, and had two receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown in a 24-10 triumph over West Essex on Friday.

Billy Smith, Cedar Creek. Smith finished 13-of-19 passing for 210 yards and 4 touchdowns to lead the Pirates to a 42-0 victory over Matawan at the Battle at the Beach on Sunday. He also ran for 26 yards.

Kenny Smith, Hammonton. The reigning Courier-Post Offensive Player of the Year matched a program record with five total touchdowns in the Blue Devils’ 35-0 triumph over St. John Vianney at the Battle at the Beach on Friday, head coach Jim Raso confirmed. Tony Motolese set the mark in a 48-0 win over Ocean City in 1969, South Jersey historian Chuck Langerman said. Smith had 17 carries for 143 yards and 4 TDs and had a 58-yard receiving score.

Braswell Thomas, Lower Cape May. Thomas had 5 catches for 102 yards and a TD and a 30-yard interception return for a score as the Caper Tigers downed Bridgeton 44-6 on Friday.

Demetris Williams, Clayton. Williams had 10 carries for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns and hauled in an interception as the Clippers took down KIPP Cooper Norcross 34-12 on Friday.

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: Best South Jersey high school football players of Week 0 of 2023