A new era of leaders for Willingboro High School football has been born.
Kenny Scott was recently approved by the school board as the program's head coach.
“It's a great time to be a chimera,” Scott said Tuesday morning.
Scott inherited a talented team that went 10-3 and won a sectional title, but ended in a heartbreaking 35-28 loss to Rumson-Fair Haven in the state semifinals.
“These kids are hungry,” Scott said. “They were a young team that accomplished a lot last season, but they look at it as unfinished business. They didn’t reach that end goal. to return to the earth.”
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Scott, 39, was the head coach at Winslow Township, his alma mater (class of 2003), for six seasons and led the Eagles to their first-ever sectional title in 2021. He served as assistant head coach and defensive coordinator at Eastside (formerly Woodrow Wilson) the past two seasons.
There will be new discoveries in Willingboro football in the near future. The school is planning a groundbreaking ceremony for the new stadium complex Thursday at 5 p.m. The project also includes an artificial turf field.
Coach Scott said if everything goes according to plan, the Chimeras will open the season on September 6th against Eastside at their new home.
“If you have another plan, you might as well clear it because it's going to be one of the great matches,” Scott said.
The Chimeras also have sophomore Lamar Best, one of the top quarterbacks in the Garden State.
Last fall, he threw for a school-record 2,607 yards with 35 touchdowns. His 58 career TD passes are the most in the state between his freshman and sophomore seasons, according to South Jersey football historian Chuck Langerman. Best broke the old record of 53 set by Pope John XXIII Sonny Abramson in 2013.
“He has that 'it' factor,” Scott said of his QB. “I had a chance to watch him the last two years (against Eastside). I saw what he brings to the team, the talent, the energy. He was lights out.”
Scott replaces Steve Everett, who retired after last season. Everett led the Chimeras to three sectional titles and one regional title in his 10 years as head coach.
During his time in the Atco area of town, Scott turned Winslow football into a must-see event. While most area teams play on Friday nights, Scott moved the Eagles' home games to Saturday nights to have the stage to himself.
Winslow won 21 games in Scott's final four years at the helm, including a 9-4 mark in 2021, including the program's first sectional title.
He resigned for personal reasons at the time, but vowed to return as a coach. He will get his second chance as head coach at Willingboro.
“Every coach wants to be a head coach,” Scott said. “But the two years I taught at Eastside were very fulfilling. I learned about the different demographics of inner-city kids and how to build relationships.
“It's bigger than just a ball.”
Tom McGuirk is regional sports editor for the Courier-Post, Daily Journal and Burlington County Times and has covered South Jersey sports for more than 30 years. If you have a sports story to tell, contact us at (856) 486-2420 or email tmcgurk@gannett.com. Follow @McGurkSports on Twitter. Support local journalism with a digital subscription.
