Shawnee began and ended No. 1

Shawnee, which began the season No. 1 in The Inquirer's preseason South Jersey football Top 10, never moved from that position.

The Renegades ended No. 1 after completing a 12-0 season with Friday's 28-7 win over Hammonton in the South Jersey Group 3 championship.

Shawnee ended No. 1 for the second time since The Inquirer began compiling a top 10 in 1978. The Renegades were also No. 1 in 2004 when they went 12-0 and were also first from the preseason to the final ranking.

Shawnee beat two South Jersey top 10 teams, No. 3 Cherokee, 14-9, and No. 4 Camden Catholic, 42-13.

Mainland (12-0) also ended where it began, No. 2. The Mustangs capped their perfect season with Saturday's 21-14 win over Southern Regional in the South Jersey Group 4 final.

Mainland defeated one final top 10 team, Washington Township, 45-10, in a South Jersey Group 4 semifinal.

Yet that statistic is a little misleading because the win over Southern Regional was like a top 10 victory. Southern isn't in the seven-county South Jersey area, but the Rams advanced to the final with a 14-13 overtime victory over No. 3 Cherokee.

Cherokee (9-2) won the Olympic Conference American Division, going undefeated in divisional play. The Chiefs' lone win over a top 10 team was a 21-0 victory over No. 7 Washington Township.

Camden Catholic (9-2), No. 4, suffered its two losses to Shawnee and eventual state Non-Public Group 3 champion St. Joe Montvale. Camden Catholic's best win was a 27-0 win over eventual state Non-Public Group 2 champion Holy Cross.

Glassboro completed its second consecutive 12-0 season to finish No. 5. The Bulldogs own South Jersey's current longest win streak, 24 games.

The third-seeded Bulldogs beat Penns Grove, 28-8, to win their second straight South Jersey Group 1 championship. Glassboro outscored its opponents by 478-66.

St. Augustine (10-1), No. 6, won the most games in school history. The Hermits went unbeaten in winning the Cape-Atlantic National Division and had an opening Non-Public A win at Notre Dame before falling to Bergen Catholic in the semifinals

Washington Township (8-3) finished No. 7. Township's biggest win of the year was a 28-24 victory over Williamstown in a South Jersey Group 4 game.

Williamstown (9-1) was one spot behind Washington Township at No. 8. The Braves won their second straight Tri-County Royal Division title.

Gloucester Catholic (9-2) is the No. 9 team. The Rams' losses were to Williamstown and to Immaculata in a Non-Public Group 3 semifinal. Gloucester Catholic's most impressive win was a 52-26 victory over eventual South Jersey Group 2 champion Delsea.

The final team is Paulsboro (10-1), which suffered its only loss of the season to Glassboro, 21-13, in a South Jersey Group 1 semifinal.

Paulsboro won the Colonial Conference Patriot Division and beat Colonial Liberty champion West Deptford, 19-10, handing the Eagles their first loss of the season.

Seven of the teams that were in The Inquirer's preseason Top 10 were in the final ranking. Besides Shawnee and Mainland, the other preseason teams were Camden Catholic (No. 3), Cherokee (No. 5), Washington Township (No. 6), Paulsboro (No. 7) and Williamstown (No. 9).

Team Record

Last week's rankings in parentheses.

1.

Shawnee (1) 12-0

2.

Mainland (2) 12-0

3.

Cherokee (3) 9-2

4.

Camden Catholic (4) 9-2

5.

Glassboro (5) 12-0

6.

St. Augustine (6) 10-1

7.

Washington Twp. (7) 8-3

8.

Williamstown (8) 9-1

9.

Gloucester Catholic (9) 9-2

10.

Paulsboro (10) 10-1

- Marc Narducci