The Woodbury High School Football team celebrates its second straight South Jersey Group 1 title after a 36-6 win against Maple Shade on Saturday, November 12, 2022. The Herd defeated Salem on Saturday to advance the state final. Kiersten Cowgill/D2 Sports Network
EVESHAM (N.J) - The Woodbury High School football team advanced to the inaugural NJSIAA Group 1 state championship with a 22-7 win over Salem at Cherokee High School on Saturday afternoon.
Anthony Reagan, Jr. rushed for two touchdowns in the victory. Quarterback Bryan Johnson connected on a 42-yard touchdown pass to Ja'Bron Solomon to give the Thundering Herd a 22-0 lead with 1:30 left in the second quarter.
Jahki Coates scored Salem's only touchdown on a run with 0:15 left in the second quarter.
Woodbury avenged a 21-20 loss to the Rams on October 22. The Thundering Herd also fell to Salem in last season's South/Central Group 1 regional final.
"We were just laser-focused on playing football today," Woodbury coach Anthony Reagan said. "We knew if we could do that, we would be victorious. We left an opportunity down there a few weeks ago. So that was our biggest thing."
The Thundering Herd will face the winner of Mountain Lakes and Weequahic in the first ever NJSIAA Group 1 state final at Rutgers University.
"It's special that Woodbury is able to be a representative of that," Reagan said. "We're a proud program that has been around for a long time. For us to be the representative it's something special. Probably won't understand it until it's all said and done, but I'm thankful it's Woodbury."