Former South Jersey HS Football Star Released From Jail

Over the last 15 years, South Jersey has seen an elevation in High School Football competition, with several schools competing for state championships. Also, numerous South Jersey high School Athletes are receiving scholarships to play Division One Football at the collegiate level.

One of those High Schools that has become a perennial contender in South Jersey is Cedar Creek High School. Located in Egg Harbor City, the Football team has won two state sectional titles (2015, 2019) along with the 2021 South Jersey/Central Jersey Group 3 Regional Championship.

Two Cedar Creek High School Graduates currently play in the NFL. Bo Melton (Green Bay Packers) and Max Melton (Arizona Cardinals) were key players during the CCHS Pirates’ most recent postseason runs.

But Cedar Creek High School Football’s first deep playoff run was to the Group II South Jersey Final led by a future Division One Athlete who is now found himself in legal trouble 13 years later.

Latest On Former South Jersey High School Football Star

On Saturday, February 15 there was a Traffic Stop in Hamilton Township that resulted in the arrest of former Cedar Creek High School and University of Arkansas Football Player Damon Mitchell.

Reports state that Police were responding to a “temporary extreme risk protection order” and discovered two pistols, two rifles and large capacity magazines in Damon Mitchell’s possession. It was Mitchell’s father who went to the police with concerns about his son “exhibiting extreme and erratic behavior”.

Nicknamed “Duwop” (pronounced Doo-Wop), Damon Mitchell was the Cedar Creek Quarterback when he led the offense that averaged 38 Points Per Game and played in their first South Jersey Championship Final appearance. Mitchell was named the 2012 Press of Atlantic City Player of the Year and would go on to play football for three years at Arkansas.

On Monday, February 24th Damon Mitchell was released from jail at his Atlantic County Superior Court Detension Hearing. The conditions of his release before he must return to court on April 9th are weekly check-ins with the court along with maintaining “lawful contact” with any family members.

Now 30 years old, it was because of family that Damon Mitchell transferred to Rutgers University to play the 2017 College Football season. His younger brother, Ahmir, was a 4-star Recruit who originally committed to the University of Michigan.

But Ahmir Mitchell was suspended before playing a game for the Michigan Wolverines and would later transfer to Rutgers.  Damon Mitchell came back to New Jersey to be with his brother as a member of the Scarlett Knights Football program.

Ahmir Mitchell suffered a Torn ACL and later was dismissed from the Rutgers Football team for violating team rules. Damon Mitchell graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree with an English/Journalism Major and has been living in Arkansas in recent years.  “Duwop” returned to New Jersey in February to attend the Cedar Creek Wall of Fame ceremony.

John Bjorklund, Mitchell’s attorney, explained to the court that his client now works as a Truck driver and under Arkansas laws legally owns the weapons found during the police stop on February 15th. Mitchell reportedly has three children that he is the financial provider for along with no criminal record in Arkansas or New Jersey.

Damon “Duwop” Mitchell is one of the best athletes in Cedar Creek Pirate Sports history and Cedar Creek High School was recently named one of the best Public Schools in the state of New Jersey: