The South Jersey Gridiron Gang puts the finishes touches on another incredible high school football season with our Player of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.
Offensive Player of the Year
Lotzeir Brooks, Millville
No. 1 is a significant digit in the history of the Millville High School athletics program.
Before he became the best baseball player on the planet, Mike Trout donned the number as a Thunderbolt.
Lotzeir Brooks has added to the legacy of the number in a different sport.
Brooks capped one of the greatest high school football careers in South Jersey history in style, catching 56 passes for 1,260 yards and 16 touchdowns this season.
In the process, he rewrote the South Jersey and state record books, becoming the most productive wide receiver in Garden State history with 4,615 receiving yards, 67 touchdown receptions and 506 career points. He’s also the only receiver in state history to have three 1,000-yard seasons (just missing a fourth time with 971 yards a freshman).
His accomplishments have earned Brooks a second consecutive South Jersey Offensive Player of the Year for the Courier-Post/SJ Gridiron Gang.
“He always been doing extraordinary stuff, starting when we were young, he’s always been that electric player,” senior Jamal Wallace Jr. said about Brooks. “He would go end around and take it to the house every time. He’s just an amazing guy.”
Brooks was an integral part of a Millville program that went 44-8 over the last four years with three sectional titles, a regional banner (2021) and a state championship (2022).
Millville head coach Humberto Ayala called Brooks a “generational talent” throughout his scholastic career.
“He loved this city, he loved his home,” Ayala said. “He did everything he could to bring championships here and to help his team to be in successful positions.”
Brooks is headed to the University of Alabama to play college football on Saturdays, joining a program that has produced star wide receivers like Jaylen Waddle, Calvin Ridley, Julio Jones and Heisman Trophy winner and current Philadelphia Eagle DeVonta Smith.
Defensive Player of the Year
Cameron Miller, Winslow
Defense is the art of what doesn’t happen.
This fall, offense had no place anywhere near Cameron Miller.
The Winslow senior was at the top of opposing offensive game plans of South Jersey’s and the state’s top Group 4 teams. On the rare occasions when teams committed an act of offense in Miller’s vicinity, the University of Kentucky signee snatched two interceptions and made 26 total tackles for the unbeaten NJSIAA Group 4 champions. Miller was South Jersey’s no-fly zone.
Cutting the field in half for opposing teams is one thing. Miller expands what is possible for his teammates, doubling their potential.
“Cam is a great individual.,” Eagles senior Marcus Upton said. “He’s a great football player. He motivates me every day. He’s just a great role model. We push each other every day. Cam is going to go a long way at Kentucky. He’s going to be one of the best players in the SEC. Y’all should watch out for him.”
Miller rarely left the field, if at all. A wide receiver on offense, Miller scored a team-best 14 receiving touchdowns on 42 catches for 722 yards.
“Cam is a big influence on this team,” sophomore quarterback Jalen Parker said. “He is a big leader on this team. To see him leave after a great game during a good win is perfect. It is great. Now he can leave on a win and go off to college and win there.”
Coach of the Year
Bill Belton, Winslow
Bill Belton was in charge of handling one of the toughest tasks in New Jersey football this season.
After weaving its way through one of the Garden State’s most challenging divisions, Winslow had its eyes on an even bigger prize – the program’s first-ever state championship.
Belton led the Eagles to one of the most dominating seasons in recent South Jersey, guiding the team to a 14-0 record. Winslow outscored their opponents by 472 points, including a 35-0 rout of Phillipsburg in the state Group 4 final earlier this month.
For his accomplishments, Belton is the South Jersey Coach of the Year for the 2024 football season.
While Winslow has been the beneficiary of numerous talented transfers to the school, Belton successfully blended together a young roster, and all of their different personalities, into a finely-tuned machine.
It’s not always easy to keep everyone happy when there’s only one football to share, but one of Winslow’s biggest strengths was its depth and versatility on both sides of the ball.
Winslow’s offense generated over 3,700 yards of offense while its defense was one of the most devastating units in the state with 48 sacks and 30 takeaways.
Belton, a 2011 graduate and star athlete at Winslow, has produced a 30-7 record over his three seasons as head coach.
Final Mean 15 rankings
-
Winslow
-
Holy Spirit
-
St. Augustine
-
Millville
-
Glassboro
-
Mainland
-
Rancocas Valley
-
Washington Township
-
Camden
-
Paul VI
-
Atlantic City
-
Kingsway
-
Shawnee
-
Seneca
-
Woodstown
Tom McGurk is a regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, The Daily Journal and Burlington County Times, covering South Jersey sports for over 35 years. If you have a sports story that needs to be told, contact him by email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @McGurkSports. Help support local journalism with a digital subscription.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Players of the Year, Coach of the Year and final Mean 15 rankings for South Jersey football in 2024
