All-South Jersey Defense for 2025 high school football season
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As one of the greatest high school seasons in South Jersey is in the books, it's time to honor some of brightest stars in the region.
It's our All-South Jersey Defensive squad:
All-South Jersey First Team
DL: Brandon Simmons, Glassboro
The South Jersey Defensive Player of the Year
DL: Benji Carter, Winslow
The best lineman on South Jersey’s best defensive line, the junior will be among the most hotly recruited players in South Jersey. Carter notched 11.5 sacks, has 16 tackles for loss and totaled 84 tackles.
DL: David Ogunsola, Rancocas Valley
The perfect blend of speed and power, the Red Devils’ junior racked up 107 tackles and 11.5 sacks. Ogunsola helped kickstart the RV offense with an interception and a fumble recovery as well.
DL: Damari Simeon, St. Augustine
A dominant force on the defensive front, the Hermits’ senior had 4.5 sacks and stopped 16 runners behind the line of scrimmage. The Ohio State recruit had 39 total tackles despite being avoided as all costs by opponents.
LB: Ta’sheem Butler, Glassboro
The Bulldogs’ backer keeps opposing coaches awake at night. The junior had an astounding 138 total tackles, including 17 by himself to go along with eight sacks and 34 tackles for loss.
LB: Cole DeNick, Kingsway
The Dragons’ do-anything junior dominated on the defensive end. DeNick had 44 tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. The Rutgers lacrosse recruit ran for 1,100 yards with 21 rushing TDs and four TD catches.
LB: Donovan Linthicum, Oakcrest
A fixture on the All-South Jersey team, the Falcons’ senior posted two sacks, seven tackles for loss and 79 total tackles despite an abbreviated season due to injury. The Villanova recruit ran for 443 yards and four TDs.
LB: Jaylen Robinson, Washington Township
The senior was the anchor on the winningest team in Minutemen history. He had 92 total tackles, 21.5 behind the line of scrimmage, seven sacks and an interception. Robinson ran for 587 yards, with eight touchdowns.
DB: Michael Bartasius, Shawnee
The Renegades; back practically eliminated the need for punt returns. The senior had five interceptions, including a pick-6 to go along with 65 tackles and three fumble recoveries. He also kicked three field goals and 32 of 35 extra points.
DB: Ka’Ron Ceaser, Winslow
The Eagles had a no-fly zone in the secondary. The junior intercepted two passes and 19 of his 26 total tackles were of the solo variety. He added 376 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
DB: Amari Sabb, Glassboro
The Bulldogs’ senior had six interceptions, including a pick-6 and 28 total tackles. Sabb scored on his 12th TD catch and a kickoff return in the state final to finish with 791 yards rushing and 1,006 receiving for 27 total touchdowns.
DB: Talib Shakir, Camden
The Panthers’ most disruptive player against the run and the pass, Shakir had 86 tackles and four interceptions he returned for touchdowns. The Colgate recruit’s final pick-6 broke a scoreless tie in the state Group 2 championship game.
AP: Jerome Foster, Camden
The Group 2 state champs might as well have lined Foster up in the opposing backfield to save time. The Panthers’ two-way lineman had 19.5 sacks plus 22.5 tackles for loss to go with 58 total tackles.
AP: Andrew Osborn, Washington Township
The Minutemen senior’s No. 44 was never far from the ball. Osborn had six sacks, 18 tackles for loss and 61 total tackles. Osborn added 404 rushing yards and eight TDs on just 65 carries for the NJSIAA Group 5 champions.
AP: Xavier Sabb, Glassboro
When the centerfielder for the two-time NJSIAA Group 1 champions wasn’t breaking up passes, the junior intercepted four. Sabb also finished with 59 catches for 897 yards and 13 TDs, plus two special teams TDs. He earned the Gatorade New Jersey Player of the Year award last week.
AP: Gemaus Sackie, Burlington Township
In the Falcons’ triple-threat linebacker corps, the senior was a demon on both sides of the line of scrimmage. In the opponents’ backfields, he posted seven sacks and nine tackles for loss, totaling 28 tackles in all.
P: Jameson Hollander, Rancocas Valley
The Red Devils’ senior used his foot as a field-position weapon, averaging 43.0 yards per punt, dropping 14 of his 24 kicks inside the 20. He also made 5 of 7 field goals with a long of 38 yards and 18 of 19 PAT tries.
Second Team Defense
DL: Michael Beasley, Rancocas Valley sophomore
DL: Rob Carstarphen, Winslow senior
DL: Jordan Hernandez, Kingsway senior
DL: Elijah Satchell, Eastside senior
LB: Chase Carthan, Burlington Township senior
LB: Omar Kelly, Atlantic City junior
LB: Jack McKeever, Haddonfield senior
LB: Justus Peyton, Cedar Creek senior
DB: Terry Cook, Eastern junior
DB: Gyan King, Cedar Creek senior
DB: Ty McLeer, St. Augustine senior
DB: Tyler Nickles, Shawnee senior
AP: KaRon Ali, Winslow senior
AP: Mike Keenan, Haddonfield junior
AP: Camaj Matthews, Winslow junior
AP: Antuwan Rogers, Salem senior
P: Zack Burlingame, Kingsway senior
Tom Rimback grew up reading the Burlington County Times and Courier Post sports sections and began writing for the BCT in 1996. He has covered everything from Super Bowls and Final Fours to Tri-County Swimming but he’s happiest on a sideline interviewing South Jersey scholastic athletes. Follow him on twitter @Rimbacksports. Email him with story ideas at tomrimback@gmail.com and, most importantly, support local journalism with a subscription to the Courier-Post.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: All-South Jersey Defense for 2025 season
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