Timber Creek’s Lambert eager for Group 3 final

Quanzell Lambert might be the best defensive player in South Jersey.

He definitely is the hardest-hitting water boy.

That's the role that Lambert played on Thanksgiving Day, wearing his No. 22 jersey and trotting on the field during timeouts with a container of Gatorade bottles for his Timber Creek teammates.

Lambert hits the field for real on Saturday.

"I'm so pumped I can't sleep at night," Lambert said of his excitement over returning to the Timber Creek lineup for Saturday's South Jersey Group 3 title game against Hammonton at 4 p.m. at Rowan University.

Timber Creek (11-0) is the No. 1 seed and the No. 2 team in The Inquirer's South Jersey rankings. The Chargers are seeking the program's first sectional title.

Hammonton (9-2) is the No. 2 seed and the No. 7 team in the rankings. The Blue Devils are seeking their sixth sectional title and second in Group 3.

"We're going to have to play our best," Hammonton coach Pete Lancetta said. "We know how good [the Chargers] are. What do they have, four or five Division I players?"

Timber Creek junior defensive linemen Greg Webb and Dajuan Drennon have a combined 15 offers from Division I programs, but Lambert is the Chargers' most highly recruited player.

Lambert probably is South Jersey's most highly recruited player. The 6-foot-2, 240-pound linebacker, who has narrowed his college choices to Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama, Iowa, and Northwestern, said Wednesday that he plans to make a college decision on Christmas Day.

Nebraska coach Bo Pelini visited Timber Creek's practice on Wednesday.

Lambert sat out Timber Creek's last two games because of an ankle injury. He hurt his right ankle in a Nov. 11 playoff game against Lacey Township.

"It was bad at first," Lambert said. "I was worried I might not be able to play again [this season]. But it feels a lot better. I'm ready to go."

Lambert is the leader of a dominating Timber Creek defense that also features Webb, Drennon, senior defensive tackle Jamil Stephenson, and junior cornerback Eric Church.

The Chargers offense is led by senior quarterback Calvin Lowe, who ran for one touchdown and passed for another in a fourth-quarter comeback in a 13-3 victory over Triton on Thanksgiving, as well as junior running back Khalil Pierce, who has 820 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Hammonton is coming off a 32-3 loss to crosstown rival St. Joseph on Saturday. Lancetta decided to pull his starters from the game at halftime, in a nod to the importance of the sectional final.

"That Thanksgiving game means nothing to us," Timber Creek coach Rob Hinson said. "They're strong, tough, relentless, explosive. They've got thick, talented kids who are not going to give up."

Hammonton's wing-T offense operates behind a well-synchronized offensive line led by seniors Brian Beebe and Nate Haden. The Blue Devils' top backs are seniors Jordan Brown and Russ Forchion, the team's best breakaway threat, as well as junior David Williams.

Junior quarterback Christian Mortellite has thrown eight touchdown passes. His top receiver is senior Bobby Barbieri, also a top defensive back.

Brown is another top defensive player, as a linebacker.

"They're very explosive," Lancetta said of Timber Creek. "We have to try to contain them on both sides of the football."

Lambert is probably Timber Creek's most explosive player, both as a tackler in the run game and as a pass rusher. His motor is running hot after sitting out his team's last two games.

"He's ready to get at it pretty good," Hinson said.

Lambert will make a recruiting visit to Alabama next weekend. Sometime soon after that, he will make his college decision.

But his focus now is helping Timber Creek finish the first 12-0 season in program history.

"This is something I dreamed about since freshman year," Lambert said. "To be undefeated and going for the championship with all these guys that I consider my brothers, it's just unbelievable to me. It's something I'll always remember even if I play in the Super Bowl or a BCS bowl."