Camden High triumphs over Shabazz, clinches state title

Camden High triumphs over Shabazz, clinches state title

Camden High School defeated Shabazz High School 27-8 on Wednesday night at Rutgers Stadium. FOX 29's Greg Payne has the story.

CAMDEN, N.J. - Camden High School defeated Shabazz High School 27-8 on Wednesday night at Rutgers Stadium, clinching their first state title. 

What they're saying:

"I've watched plenty of teams not make it here and not finish the job, but we got it done, it felt great," Wasi Muhammad, a wide receiver, told FOX 29. "It’s all we ever talked about – this was our main mission." 

Bringing the trophy to Camden means a lot for the players, who say they had to lock in mentally and believe all season, even when people doubted them. 

"Everybody was counting on us at the end, but nobody was really messing with us for real, so it’s a lot," Jojo White, an offensive lineman, said. 

"We came out, we showed what we were about, and we brought a state chip to the home, back to the hood," Ibn Muhammad, a wide receiver/defensive back said. 

The school held a pep rally at the Camden High School gymnasium on Thursday with community members, city leaders, parents, students and alumni to celebrate the team’s historic championship season.

"This is big for the city, it’s positive energy. That is just what we need right now," Carmen Lozada-Cooper, Panthers Class of ‘83, told FOX 29. 

"We have had roundtable discussions, team building workshops, mental health workshops – we’ve done so much to get them to this day as a community," Tracey Hill, Class of ‘89, said. 

What's next:

The team says they are going to celebrate now, but come next season, their eyes are on winning another championship.