“I never gave up. I was always ready to go to work for my brothers.”

Lamar Best always believed, and on Friday, his dreams came true.

Best and NJ.com No. 2-ranked St. Joseph (Mont.) defeated No. 1 Don Bosco Prep in a 24-21 final in the NJSIAA/Xfinity Non-Public A championship at MetLife Stadium, but the journey to the top of the mountain was by no means easy, and for Best especially.

After a strong 2024 campaign in his first year with St. Joseph (Mont.), injuries were derailing Best’s senior season.

The Willingboro native suffered a hamstring strain in the preseason that lingered several weeks into the year. In Week 3 at Paramus Catholic while struggling through the hamstring injury, he took a hit in the third quarter and suffered a torn labrum in his right shoulder — his throwing arm.

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