South Jersey's Defensive Linemen to Watch for the 2024 season

Who are the best players to create havoc in the defensive trenches?

Here are some of the top defensive linemen in South Jersey heading into the 2024 season.

We ranked our top 10 defensive linemen. Now, here's your chance to vote for your choice with the poll at the end of the story.

More: High School Football 2024: South Jersey schedules and scores for the season

Defensive linemen to Watch

10. Damon Johnson, Burlington City. The Blue Devils thrive on pressure and they take their cues from Johnson. With 15.5 tackles for loss and three sacks, Johnson sets a strong tone.

9. Jaelin Johnson, Willingboro. A stalwart on both sides of the Chimeras line, Johnson preferred the opponents’ backfield to his own side of the ball. Johnson had 4.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss among his 66 total tackles.

8. Moe Keshen, Paul VI. A disruptor on the line of scrimmage, Keshen posted 55 solo tackles last fall. Included in that total were nine behind the line of scrimmage.

7. Jordan Richardson-Wright, Willingboro. Part of a smothering Chimeras defense, Richardson-Wright accounted for more than 50 total tackles, including a combined 21 sacks and TFLs.

6. Josh Leath, Moorestown. A terror on the line of scrimmage, Leath powered the Quakers pass rush with nine sacks for the second straight season last fall. Add in another 45 tackles and its clear how impactful Leath is.

5. Jasuan Solomon, Woodbury. As imposing a figure as there is in South Jersey, the 6-foot-4 Solomon had 95 total tackles and three forced fumbles last fall.

4. Aidan Oldfield, Oakcrest. Oldfield lived in opponents’ backfields last fall. The senior posted 18 sacks along with 22 tackles for loss last fall.

3. Brandon Simmons, Glassboro. Still a junior, Simmons put up numbers that defied description. With 96 totals tackles, Simmons tossed in 13 sacks and 35 tackles for loss.

2. Jonathan Harris, Delsea. There are lots of reasons Delsea won a state Group 3 title, Count Harris as among the biggest. Harris had two sacks and five tackles for loss in the state title game to raise his season totals to 12 and 22, respectively.

1. Darian Blachewicz, Millville. If defense brings championships, Blachewicz figures to play a huge role in the Thunderbolts’ hopes. Blachewicz had eight sacks and seven tackles for loss while serving as a two-way lineman.

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: South Jersey's Defensive Linemen to Watch for the 2024 season