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Schools

Haddonfield Seniors Have Come a Long Way Together

Ten years since this group started playing together, they look to accomplish one final goal.

Believe it or not, there was a time when Haddonfield didn’t just roll over its opponents on the gridiron.

Going back 10 years ago, when the current group of seniors started playing football together, wins were actually hard to come by.

“The only team we ever beat was Sterling,” reflects running back Chris Dengler with a laugh.

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My how the times have changed.

A decade later, the same core of players has the Bulldawgs in prime position to capture their second straight South Jersey Group 2 Championship on Saturday. Haddonfield will take on West Deptford at 1 p.m. at Rowan University.

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The end of an era had lineman Jim Cashman, wide receiver/defensive back Matt Bhaya, quarterback/safety Dan Ciemneicki, linebacker/offensive lineman Carson Stack, fullback/linebacker Robert Perkins, tight end/defensive end Alex Walter and Dengler looking back on the time they have spent together over the years.

“It’s something where we got better and better as we got older,” Dengler said.

Little by little, things started to improve for the team.

Players who are now starring under the Friday Night Lights moved to Haddonfield. The addition of the physical Marshall in 2007 gave the group a strong presence up front. Through youth camps and simply being on the gridiron together, the team bonded year in and year out.

Head coach Frank DeLano says that the Pop Warner and high school programs in Haddonfield are very close. He thinks that having a taste of high school football before actually playing gives the young players a desire to be great.

“Our goal was for them to be looking up at the stands on Friday night in awe,” DeLano says. “We wanted them to want to be a part of our program, wanting to be a part of Friday night under the lights. We preach that you work hard and good things will happen.

“All these guys were on the field, either as ball boys, tee boys, something,” notes DeLano. “It’s safe to say everybody was out on the (high school) field before their actual playing days.”

All that time has led to this year. The Bulldawgs have been dominant this season, outscoring opponents 407-47. The defense has been relentless, posting six shutouts. And while the results are very similar to last year, they point out that this is a much different team.

“This is our team, this is the class of 2012,” Bhaya says. “(Winning states) is more important to us this year than it was last year. No one is going to look back and say, ‘Oh, they won it as juniors.’ They remember the senior class.”

And the closeness of the group has fueled that success.

“We’ve played together for so long, the chemistry we have, I think that makes us different and successful,” says Stack.

“I think one of the things you realize when you watch our team is that no one worries about themselves,” Dengler adds. “We care about winning as a team. I think that’s a testament to playing together for so long.”

“Doing well as a group of friends is just as important to us as doing well individually,” Walter notes.

And outside of football, DeLano is proud of how this group of seniors has grown as young men.

“They’re such peer leaders off the field,” he says. “Matty’s involved with a sports exchange program where they collect old equipment and bring it to the less fortunate. All these kids are in the National Honor Society, and just so involved in the school community.”

Outside of Cashman, who will play football at Boston College next fall, the seniors are still undecided on their college plans. The next few months will be hectic as they choose where they will play for the next four years, but for now the seniors are focused on the task at hand.

“Hopefully they’ll talk about us as the undefeated team that won states,” says Bhaya.

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