H.S. Football: Braxton, Camden roll to shutout win at Kingsway

WOOLWICH — Baby steps are quickly transforming into smooth, flowing strides.

The young Camden football team continues to mature on the fly, evidenced by a 30-0 road victory over Kingsway.

By the time junior Christian Braxton dashed 60 yards into the night, the Panthers had begun to pull away to an impressive 2-0 start.

"I told my line all week: if they just give me a little something, I got them — I'll get a touchdown for them," Braxton said. "I saw it open up a little bit and I popped right through. Once I got to the next level, I got through the safeties and I was gone from there.

"Overall, I feel good about the way we played but there were a lot of mistakes that we made. We have to stay humble and make sure we correct all the little things, because that's what matters."

Braxton also added a touchdown receiving and junior backfield mate Jaiden Steele had touchdown runs of 10 and nine yards.

"We don't have a lot of seniors that play, so this was valuable experience for our guys," Panthers' coach Rob Hinson said. "We have about seven underclassmen on both sides of the ball, including two or three freshmen who start. Just being able to keep bouncing back in a game is huge, because we're going to have to keep doing it."

The visitors overcame a sluggish start to build a 17-0 lead by halftime, thanks in part to their two speedy running threats, Braxton and Steele.

"I want them to get a little more comfortable, because right now they're trying to hit the plays as they're called," Hinson said. "They have the ability to bounce it. Jaiden is a 100-meter state champion. I want them to be not as robotic and get a little more relaxed and play. They should be even a little bit more scary to defend."

Braxton enjoyed making a contribution to the passing attack as well. He gathered in a six-yard toss from quarterback Mahki Brunson to cap the scoring in the fourth quarter.

"I wanted another touchdown," Braxton said. "Once that play was called, I knew I had to go get it. I was open. I raised my hand and was ready for it."

Key Play

In addition to Camden's rushing exploits, quarterback Mahki Brunson displayed a nice touch. His 20-yard slant to Ibn Muhammad, on 3rd and 7, kept alive a third-quarter drive, which culminated with Steele's second score. Camden was in control, up 24-0.

Game Balls

Christian Braxton had a 60-yard touchdown run and a six-yard touchdown reception for Camden. The junior's versatility was a major factor for Camden all evening.

The Panthers' Jaiden Steele opened the scoring with a 10-yard scoring burst in the first quarter and he later powered in from nine yards out in the third quarter. He kickstarted that drive with a 12-yard run that got Camden on the move once again.

Junior Talib Shakir was a force in the secondary all night for the Panthers. He broke up a pass on fourth down when Kingsway was driving in the third quarter, and Shakir also intercepted Red Dragons quarterback David Oravetz in the fourth quarter to help cement the shutout.

They said it

Camden coach Rob Hinson: "Each week, we see a different defense. It seems like what folks are doing now is just blitz the heck out of us and get the ball out of our hands. But we're gonna make adjustments to that, shorten things up a little bit, and let our guys run around. Because we got dudes who can run around when the ball gets in their hands."

Up next

Camden has a WJFL Colonial contest at Shawnee Friday at 6 p.m. and Kingsway opens WJFL Classic play with a home game against Timber Creek, Friday at 6 p.m.

Kev Hunter is a freelance reporter for the Courier-Post. He can be reached by email at cpvarsity@gmail.com

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: H.S. Football: Braxton, Camden roll to shutout win at Kingsway