On Tuesday, January 27th, the Camden High School boys’ basketball team notched a second straight win, and honored a group of six seniors in the process. Ahead of a 74-62 win over Oneida, the Blue Devils basketball and winter cheerleading programs recognized their Class of 2026 for an immense contribution of time and energy to their respective squads.
Mykenzie Gardner was the lone senior representing the winter cheerleading program, and was joined in the festivities by boys’ basketball players Landon Loomis, Adam Gonzalez, Zack Odom, Cody Piersall, and Trenton Brower.
The program also took the opportunity to honor longtime coaching staff member Mark Trusso. Trusso, a retired CCSD technology teacher, has dedicated his time working with the boys’ and girls’ basketball programs at Camden during his career, with a coaching tenure that began in 1978. As he gets ready to depart the Camden area for a new chapter, Trusso was presented with an engraved piece of the current high school’s original gym floor, which was recently replaced.
In the game itself, the Blue Devils overhauled an early deficit to take a one point lead at halftime, then methodically expanded their lead in the second half to lock down their fifth victory of the season.
Photos: Braelin Page / Imagesbyb
Some students even took on the task of preparing for multiple select ensembles at once. Fiume played this show a week after playing in the All-County orchestra, and Schulz has been preparing for the upcoming Junior Area All-State Festival that will be held in Camden on January 30th and 31st.
Meanwhile in Utica, indoor track programs from across the Mohawk Valley will recognize their seniors at the TVL Championship Meet, to be held at Utica University's Todd and Jennifer Hutton Sports and Recreation Dome. In addition, the CHS Morgan's Message Club will also be on-site to spread the word about the work they're doing in the arena of student-athlete mental health.
There will be a ceremony around 5:45, with wrestling beginning at 6:00 PM. Please join us.
The Camden High School Chapter of the National Honor Society had a quartet of special guests yesterday to discuss opportunities for volunteerism in Camden and the surrounding areas! Thanks to Mary and Jim from the Camden Lions Club, and Leslie and Julia from the Leslie's Laundry Foundation for coming to speak with our students about how they can make a difference in our communities!
Between matches of a junior varsity/varsity doubleheader against Tri-Valley League opponent Whitesboro, a formal dedication ceremony was held in recognition of the Morgan’s Message Club mission, and in memory of the organization’s namesake: Duke University women’s lacrosse student-athlete Morgan Rodgers.
Rodgers died by suicide in July 2019 after years of mental health difficulties. The Morgan’s Message organization was created to honor her legacy and provide a framework for student-athletes to take a proactive approach to their mental health. It empowers student-athletes to support one another through their challenges, cultivate a supportive environment where needed support can be sought rather than stigmatized, and take ownership of the narrative surrounding mental health in athletics.
As part of the ceremony, Morgan’s Message Student-Athlete Ambassadors Kamryn Gloude and Aubrey Mitchell each spoke about the organization and its goals. Current volleyball student-athlete Lynzee Szczesniak delivered a powerful and courageous keynote address where she detailed her own challenges - a poignant reminder to all in attendance that they are never alone.
A resource table and message wall were also provided by the club for the evening, and the home team wore specially designed t-shirts for warmup activities. Those t-shirts will become a wearable reminder of the spirit of Morgan’s Message in the Camden High School hallways throughout the year.
To get ready, students are performing a memorization activity where they break into pairs and perform for each other, over and over again. While getting vitally important repetitions with the material, the students are also sharing notes and feedback with each other. In addition, students are supplied with expert feedback from Camden’s resident Shakespeare aficionado - retired ELA teacher Robin Edkin. Edkin brought the Shakespeare Competition to Camden over 30 years ago, and continues to offer guidance to students in her retirement years.
The finals of this year’s Camden High School Shakespeare Competition will take place on Wednesday, January 28th.
Happy New Year! We wish you all a happy and healthy 2026, and a fantastic celebration this evening.
As a friendly reminder, classes are scheduled to resume on Monday, January 5th, 2026.
Camden was led by Ayden Gerow with games of 216 and 225 and a 637 series. Also turning in strong performances were Braylon Lyke with a 200 game and a 589 series, Garrett Grinnell with a 224 game and a 535 series and Alex Lallier with a 200 game and a 530 series. NH was led by JP Lazzaro with games of 257 and 244 and a 690 series.
With the win Camden improves to 4-1 on the season. They are in action against CNS on Monday.
Way to go, guys!
Any questions? Call Val at 315-271-8780!
