Timber Creek record setting quarterback Devin Leary will take his considerable skills to NC State next year. Leary is Footballstories Player of the Year. Photo from backingthepack.com

Devin Leary: Footballstories 2017 South Jersey Player of the Year

They become a little tough to ignore. The one who seems to throw a little longer, and a little more accurate than the other kids who want to be the next Tom Brady yet are too small to barely grip the ball. At each level, from weight-league football, to junior varsity and then to the high school level, the rare ones continue to excel. Just when you want to see more, the singular have a tendency to deliver more.

It’s what Devin Leary did, it seems, ever since he put on a Timber Creek football uniform.
Over the last three years, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior quarterback led the Chargers to three-straight NJSIAA South Jersey sectional championship games, winning consecutive Group 4 titles his sophomore and junior years, before losing this past season to eventual South Jersey Group 3 sectional champion Delsea (Timber Creek dropped a level in 2017). Still, Leary posted all-time, New Jersey state records by throwing for 9,672 yards and 109 touchdowns over his career.

That’s a lot.

It’s why Leary is the easy, consensus choice as Football Stories 2017 South Jersey Player of the Year.
The only thing Leary didn’t do in 2017 was threepeat as a South Jersey sectional championship.
“I’m pleased with how I played, except for how it ended, of course,” said Leary, who will be attending North Carolina State on a football scholarship in the summer. “We all did a lot of growing this year. Looking back over my total high school career, which actually ended on a winning note by winning our Thanksgiving Day game, there was a lot of growth. I’m grateful for everyone who helped get to where I am. We wanted everyone to grow as football players each week, and I think that’s what we did.”
In Leary’s three years as a starter, the Chargers went 32-4. Defenses were designed to specifically stop him and he still ground them up into dust. He threw for 2,859 yards and 31 touchdowns in his senior year. That included two games in which he threw for more than 300 yards, and six games where he tossed three touchdowns or better.

The next step is North Carolina State, which finished second in the ACC with a 9-4 overall record and 6-2 in the conference. That included the 52-31 victory over Arizona State in the Sun Bowl. Leary will back up Ryan Finley, before getting a chance his sophomore year.

“I loved NC State,” said Leary, who will enroll at NC State in June. “They really opened their arms to us and they showed what everyday life is like down there. Besides, their offense is quite similar to the offense I run in high school, so I’ll have the opportunity to fit right in, and the opportunity to play quickly is there. I’m looking to learn from Ryan as much as I can, and after that, I’m looking at the opportunity to start by my sophomore year.

“When I was younger, there were a lot of seniors who helped pave the path for me. Now that I’m a senior, I was happy to be able to pave the path for the younger players behind me. That’s what I’ll take with me the most from my high school career.”
2017 ALL FOOTBALLSTORIES FOOTBALL TEAM FOR SOUTH JERSEY
OFFENSE
FIRST TEAM
QB Devin Leary Sr. Timber Creek 6-2, 185
RB Aidan Borguet Jr. Delsea 5-9, 185
RB JoJo Kellum Sr. Lenape 5-9 180
RB Iverson Clement, Rancocas Valley, Sr. 5-11, 195
WR Tyreke Brown, Penns Grove, Jr, 6-1, 220
WR Daevon Robinson, Shawnee, Sr, 6-4, 210
WR Kevin Zehner, Kingsway Sr 6-1, 190
OL Noah Sansalone Sr. Vineland 6-4, 275
OL Brian Beck Sr. Holy Cross 6-3 300
OL Wisdom Quarshie Jr. St. Joseph (Hamm.) 6-3, 290
OL Dimitris Pali Sr. Holy Spirit 6-1, 255
OL Derryk Sellers Sr. Timber Creek 6-3, 280
OL/DL Tom Kane Sr Shawnee 6-foot-3, 245
K Ethan McCarron, Sr Cherokee
ATH Jada Byers, St. Joseph (Hamm.) 5-7, 155
SECOND TEAM
QB Josh Zamot Sr. Holy Spirit 5-11, 190
RB Qwahsin Townsel Sr. St. Joseph (Hamm.) 6-0, 200
RB Jimmy Browne, Burlington City, Sr. 5-10, 185
RB Nahzir Russell, Pennsauken 5-10, 170
WR Stanley King Jr. Woodrow Wilson 6-5, 180
WR Isaiah Shaw Jr. Winslow Twp.5-9 165
WR: David Green III Sr. Willingboro 6-3, 190
OL Tommy Maxwell Sr. Delsea 6-0, 200
OL Antonio Mercado, Woodrow Wilson, Sr., 6-1, 240,
OL Jared Davenport, Lenape, Sr., 6-2, 240,
OL Drew Bowker, Rancocas Valley 5-10, 195
OL Nick Adinolfi, Williamstown 6-1, 220
OL Alex Desire, Burlington Township 6-5, 290
ATH Kenny Lim 180 Jr. West Deptford 6-0, 180
K Zach Sterr, Absegami
HONORABLE MENTION
QB Nick Kargman 6-4 180 Jr. Woodrow Wilson
RB: Elijah Gray, Holy Spirit, Jimmy Browne 5-9 175 Sr. Burlington City
WR Steve Gervasi Sr, Cherokee, Joe Thompson Sr. Cherokee, Iverson Clement, Rancocas Valley, Jayvin Little, Timber Creek.
OL Dimitri Pali, Holy Spirit, Kyle Murphy, Gloucester Catholic, Jacob Hein, Rancocas Valley, Dan Woelfel, Hammonton, Dom Brunozzi 6-2 315 Sr. Buena, Robert Glocker 6-3 275 Jr. Paulsboro, Andrew Klitchko 6-2 230 Sr. Bishop Eustace, Brad Lomax 6-0 230 Jr. St. Joseph
ATH: Josh Zamot, Holy Spirit
K Danny Kay, Camden Catholic

Brian Beck (79) senior standout at Holy Cross Academy. Beck, 6-2, 290, played both offense and defense for the lancers. Capped off his senior season with a trip to the New Jersey state playoffs.

DEFENSE
FIRST TEAM
DL Aaron Acosta, Lenape, Sr., 6-1, 265
DL Gabe Klaus 6-2 220 Jr. Haddonfield
DL Travon King, Woodrow Wilson, Sr., 6-4, 200
DL Andrew Klitchko, Bishop Eustace
LB Joe Bonczek, St. Augustine
LB Marcus Hillman, Camden Catholic, Sr., 6-0, 185, LB
LB Kyle Sapp 6-1 220 Sr. Rancocas Valley
LB Mike Galaida 5-10 200 Sr. Lenape.
DB Isaih Pacheco, Vineland, Sr., 5-11, 195, Utility
DB Jake Schillinger, Shawnee, Sr., 6-0, 165
DB Dehron Holloway, Paulsboro, Jr., 5-8, 165, UTIL
DB Shamere Collins, St. Augustine
ATH: Zaire Jones 6-0 180 Sr. Salem.
P Dan Kay 5-11 200 Jr. Camden Catholic
SECOND TEAM
DL Eli Sloan-El, Camden, Sr., 6-2, 205
DL Sencere Tapp 6-0 190 Sr. St. Joseph
DL Tidiane Bamba 6-1 295 Jr. Camden
DL Damire Hutchinson 6-1 220 Sr. Sterling
DL-Dan Falzone, Shawnee Sr, 5-11, 205
LB Mike Gulig 6-1 215 Sr. Cedar Creek
LB Pete Orio 6-1 215 Sr. West Deptford
LB Albert Nah 5-10 185 Sr. Willingboro
DB Tim Petrucelli, Holy Cross Sr 6-0, 210
DB Tirik Austin-Cave, Camden-Catholic
DB Sencere Tapp, St. Joseph (Hamm.)
DB Clayton Scott 5-9 175 Sr. Millville.
DB: Kevin Gsell 6-2 205 Sr. Seneca.
P Henry Westermann 6-3 185 Jr. Paul VI
HONORABLE MENTION
DL Eli Sloan-El 6-1 195 Sr. Camden, Santino Morina 6-1 190 Jr. Paulsboro, Daequan Jackson-Swoope 6-2 215 Sr. Rancocas Valley
LB Albert Nah 5-10 185 Sr. Willingboro, Mike Gulig 6-1 215 Sr. Cedar Creek, Pete Orio 6-1 215 Sr. West Deptford, Nihym Anderson 6-2 240 Sr. Vineland, Jared Colbert 5-11 190 Sr. Highland
DB Shamere Collins 5-10 175 Sr. St. Augustine, Jake Schillinger 6-0 175 Sr. Shawnee, Damon Matthews 5-10 175 Sr. Overbrook, Nah’Sir Morgan 6-3 190 Sr. Atlantic City, Kyle Dobbins 5-10 180 Sr. Timber Creek
ATH Colin Wetterau 6-0 175 Sr. Shawnee
ATH-Prince-dru Bey, Winslow
Coach of the Year: Sal Marchese – Delsea