The Mainland vs. Ocean City rivalry is as good as it’s ever been (and maybe even better)

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN
Staff Writer
Ohio State vs. Michigan. Yankees vs. Red Sox. Celtics vs. Lakers. These are some of the storied rivalries in sports history on the national level. At the local level, it’s hard to top Ocean City vs. Mainland. This rivalry has been going strong for decades, and, believe it or not, might be the most intense it has ever been, right here and now. Some athletes from the 1970s and 80s may believe otherwise, but it’s hard to argue that we’re not in a time when Ocean City vs. Mainland is one of the best in South Jersey, not just in football, but across the board.
If you think about some of the games and championships that have been decided between these schools the past couple of years (turn to page 22 for some recent rivalry highlights), there have been tremendous moments featuring some of the best athletes each school has ever produced.
“Back in the 90s, when we were two of the elite programs in South Jersey, it was great in football, but now it feels like it’s great in every sport,” said Red Raiders football coach Kevin Smith. “I went to Mainland a long time ago, so Mainland is the other side now. But it’s cool to still know people over there and kind of get after them but still have respect for them.”

In the past two years alone there have been some epic battles — and perhaps that’s why each school’s student cheering section, “Raider Nation” and “The Corral Crazies”, have become two of the most fervent in South Jersey — that have decided championships in girls basketball, boys lacrosse, girls soccer and football. For two straight years the Ocean City girls basketball team has handed Mainland a loss in the South Jersey final. Last spring, the Mainland boys lacrosse team beat Ocean City, 7-6, to win its first Cape-Atlantic League title. This fall, the girls soccer teams have played nearly 300 minutes and only two goals were scored — a pair of 1-0 wins by Mainland, one in double overtime, and Mainland winning the CAL Tournament championship in PKs after 100 minutes of scoreless soccer. And, on Oct. 26, Sean Carey sealed his name in Mainland lore by booting a 41-yard field goal with one second left to give the Mustangs’ football team a 24-21 win over Ocean City.
“The crowds were great and that always makes it fun. Even last year, we beat them by 18 but it was an intense game. I don’t feel like if one team is better than the other that there’s a big difference in the product on the field. You have to make sure your kids aren’t too hyped up because then they don’t execute. I can’t imagine what it’s like when you have Ohio State vs. Michigan, an environment like that, where you have 100,000 people in the stands. We get 1,500 or 2,000 people going nuts and it feels awesome,” Smith said. “I think both schools will have really good teams in the big rivalry sports in the winter and spring, especially basketball, baseball and lacrosse. Those games will be deciding CAL championships and that sort of stuff. And there are a lot of crossover athletes who play multiple sports — we have a ton of lacrosse and baseball guys on our football team and I know Mainland does, too. Those guys will get after each other in a bunch of different sports.”
“I was watching the football game and you get chills for the kids that they get to play in such a heated rivalry. I think what makes it so great is the teams (in most sports) are so evenly matched all the time, so they make for good games, which ultimately makes the emotions rise, brings people in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I’m happy to be a part of it. I’m a Mainland graduate, so it’s embedded deep within me, and so far it’s been good for us this season,” said Mainland girls soccer coach Alex Weidman. “There’s something special about the buzz during Ocean City week. The girls, when we’re playing everybody knows it, the whole school knows it when the football teams are playing — there’s just a different level of buzz and excitement around the school when it’s Ocean City week and it’s fun to be in school those times.”

When it was suggested that his girls would have played until 2 a.m. if they had to in order to beat Ocean City, Weidman wholeheartedly agreed.
“Ours are just two tough teams going at it, wanting to be physical and not wanting to give up that goal against Ocean City. That’s one of the big things the girls rally behind. When they’re on the field together, both teams want to grind it out for their teammates and their school,” he said. “The girls were excited and into it, and it’s a special thing to see the crowd come out like that for a girls soccer game. That game highlighted two top teams from South Jersey who maybe don’t get the (statewide) love that some schools from up by Philly or New York get. It was cool to showcase that talent.”
The worst thing that can happen to an athlete from either school is to let his or her team down during a game against the rival, and that is what drives the players, Weidman said. If you can be a hero in a win over your rival, that’s something that will be talked about at the 20th reunion.
“This history is rooted deep into our schools. You have people who played in the rivalry who are now teaching, coaches who have played in it and now are coaching. Some of the teachers at Mainland went to Ocean City, or have kids at Ocean City, and I’m sure Ocean City has the same deal with us. It’s interesting, the crossover, the history and the close battles and meaningful games,” Weidman said. “That’s what makes for a good rivalry. It’s just that deep-rooted passion. You don’t want to let your teammates down, your coaches down or your school down. You want to grind it out and put your best foot forward. You’re putting it all out there and playing with pure passion.”
Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays