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Star seniors, but only for half a year

Cameron Chambers and Ahmir Mitchell swear they are not in a hurry. Chambers says he plans to make the most of his senior football season at Timber Creek.

Timber Creek's Cameron Chambers catches a TD in front of Shawnee Nick Corbi.  Timber Creek v Shawnee in SJ 34 title game at Rowan University on Saturday, December 7, 2013.
Timber Creek's Cameron Chambers catches a TD in front of Shawnee Nick Corbi. Timber Creek v Shawnee in SJ 34 title game at Rowan University on Saturday, December 7, 2013.Read more( RON CORTES / Staff Photographer )

Cameron Chambers and Ahmir Mitchell swear they are not in a hurry.

Chambers says he plans to make the most of his senior football season at Timber Creek.

Mitchell says he has the same intentions for his senior season at Cedar Creek.

The two talented wide receivers, both of whom have been ranked among the state's most highly-recruited players in the class of 2016, hope to be playing for their high school teams in the sectional championship games in December.

They have other plans for January: to be away at college.

"It was a no-brainer for me," Chambers said of his decision to enroll at Michigan State for the spring semester. "The more I thought about it and studied it, the more I was like, 'Why not?' "

Mitchell plans to enroll at Michigan for the spring semester.

"I felt like it was the right thing for me," Mitchell said. "I want to get started on my education and on my athletic career. I felt like it would be a big advantage for me to get there and get going.

"I want to play as a freshman. I want to be an impact player as a freshman. I felt like this would help me do that."

Camden defensive end Ron Johnson, another highly-touted senior in South Jersey's class of 2016, also hopes to graduate in December and enroll at Michigan in January.

Johnson, who began his high school career at LEAP Academy Charter before transferring to Camden, still has to scramble to finish some courses before Dec. 20, according to Camden coach Dwayne Savage.

"The problem is Michigan wants everything done by Dec. 20 and most other schools give you until Jan. 15 [to finish high school]," Savage said.

Johnson said he felt that enrolling early would give him an advantage in advancing both his academic and athletic careers.

"I want to do it," Johnson said. "I hope I can. I think it would be good to get up there, get started on classes, working in the weight room, be ready for spring ball."

Other standout South Jersey players have opted not to try to enroll early in college.

Camden wide receiver Brad Hawkins, another Michigan recruit, said he considered the idea but decided to spend his entire senior year in high school.

Hawkins, along with Camden defensive end Jamal Holloway, a Syracuse recruit, are key members of the fabled Camden basketball program, which has won three consecutive South Jersey titles but still is seeking the team's first state championship since 2001.

"That was part of it," Hawkins said of playing basketball for the Panthers as a senior.

Palmyra wide receiver Kelvin Harmon, who has narrowed his final six choices to Rutgers, Temple, West Virginia, South Carolina, North Carolina and North Carolina State, likely will announce his choice in early October.

Harmon said he doesn't plan to enroll early, in part because "I want to run track [for Palmyra] in the spring."

Hawkins, Harmon and other senior recruits have indicated a desire to finish their senior year with their classmates before beginning the college experience.

Chambers and Mitchell see things another way. Their decision follows similar moves made in recent years by top South Jersey players such as Eastern defensive back Eli Apple, who enrolled at Ohio State in January of 2013, and Timber Creek defensive back Kareem Ali, who enrolled at Temple in January of this year.

Apple has emerged as a starting cornerback for the defending national champions. He had seven tackles and sealed the national title game win over Oregon in January with a late interception of the last pass of Marcus Mariota's college career.

Ali has been impressive as a true freshman for Temple and is expected to see some playing time for the Owls this season.

"I think it's a great thing if a guy is ready to start his college career," Savage said.

Chambers and Mitchell have been varsity regulars since their freshman seasons and star players since they were sophomores. They also are physically mature athletes, as Chambers is 6-foot-3 and 205 pounds and Mitchell is 6-3 and 215.

Chambers was named MaxPreps' national sophomore of the year after catching 57 passes for 1,196 yards and 12 touchdowns during the 2013 season.

Mitchell is coming off a junior season in 2014 in which he caught 47 passes for 881 yards and scored a total of 20 touchdowns.

Both athletes hope to lead their teams to sectional titles - Chambers and Timber Creek in South Jersey Group 4, Mitchell and Cedar Creek in South Jersey Group 2.

Both plan to return to their high schools in the spring and participate in senior activities such as prom and graduation ceremonies.

But both intend to be in Michigan - Chambers in East Lansing, Mitchell in Ann Arbor - and taking college classes by the middle of January.

"You have to live in the present, but you have to prepare for the future," Chambers said. "That's what this decision came down to for me. If I was to stay at Timber Creek and just hang around and finish off high school, I wouldn't be in the right place, and that's when you can come into problems.

"I'd rather be getting started on the next phase of my life. I'd rather be in East Lansing."