Staff Report

Check out a roundup from the first day of the sixth annual Battle at the Beach Football Classic from Carey Stadium in Ocean City.

St. John Vianney 29, Cedar Creek 28 (OT)

The defending Group 3 state champs got off to a rocky start to their title defense with a one-point setback to St. John Vianney in the opening game of the event.

Trailing 21-7 midway through the third quarter, Cedar Creek stormed back and evened the score in the fourth to send the game into overtime, which was a first in the six-year history of Battle at the Beach. A Sandy Thomas touchdown reception put the Pirates ahead, 28-21, in overtime before the Lancers drove down the field for a game-winning drive, executing a two-point conversion for the victory. 

Lucas Farah found a lot of running room for the Lancers, rumbling for 100 yards on 23 attempts. After finishing 5-6 last fall, St. John Vianney starts this season on a high note.

Cole Landicini threw for more than 100 yards and a touchdown for Cedar Creek, while Lenhart Taylor rushed for a team-high 77 yards on 15 carries.

Washington Township 14, Pope John 6

Washington Township started its Group 5 state title defense in style with a triumph over Pope John. Seniors Tyler Alicea and Gabe Palaganas combined for five sacks in what was a dominant defensive display from the Minutemen.

Three players recorded at least five rushing attempts for Washington Township in a run-first victory with 93 yards and a touchdown on 32 attempts. Drew Dorsey led the way with 34 yards and a touchdown, and Cody Halicks added another 34 yards.

“It’s always good, especially down here,” said Township coach Mike Schatzman. “We haven’t had much success in Ocean City. We played here in 2022 and 2023 against Toms River North and Mainland. A win is a win against a quality program. Pope John is obviously playing top notch competition each week with all the powers up north. 1-0 is a lot better than 0-1.”

The Minutemen will turn their focus to a home matchup with Millville in a West Jersey Football League divisional clash next Friday at 6 p.m. After realignment, the Minutemen are in a tough division with the likes of Winslow, St. Augustine Prep, Millville, Kingsway and Atlantic City.

Ocean City 39, Princeton 0.

Ocean City stepped on the gas pedal and never looked back, defending its home turf on a high note with a shutout over Princeton. Jackson Becker threw for 166 yards and four touchdowns, while Cole Garreffi tallied 83 yards and a score on the ground. Seniors Joe Pancoast and Michael Marczyk each caught two touchdowns for the Red Raiders.

Malcolm X. Shabazz 32, Atlantic City 19

The most anticipated matchup of the day did not disappoint. Atlantic City rallied back from an eight-point halftime deficit with an electrifying Don’Taye Thompson punt return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, but Shabazz was just too much to handle for the Vikings.

Senior back Faheem Ausbon rumbled for three touchdowns for the Bulldogs in the 13-point triumph.

Inspirational Run

The Washington Township-Pope John game effectively marked the end of a legendary run for longtime Minutemen athletic director Kevin Murphy.

Murphy served for the past two decades as the athletic director at Washington Township, becoming the face of Minutemen athletics.

Coach Schatzman presented Murphy with the game ball after the final game he will ever supervise. George Passante will take over as the athletic director on Sept. 1.

— Correspondent Brian Tortella

(Photo courtesy of Michael Taylor of Gray Fox Sports)