Ocean City boys cross country team’s dual-meet win streak intact at 53 in a row

By Giuseppe Ungaro Managing Editor As if running several miles in all kinds of weather conditions isn’t difficult enough, the Ocean City High School runners do it with the weight of an entire athletic program and its tradition on their shoulders. The Red Raiders are well aware of the long and storied tradition of the cross country program, as well as current winning streaks, and don’t want to be the class or team to have a letdown. Ocean City completed an undefeated dual-meet season this fall to run its dual-meet winning streak to 53 straight. The Red Raiders also won their 14th consecutive Cape May County title this season. “Definitely throughout the season there is always that scare or worry, but I don’t want that to get in my head,” said Louis Paone, a senior captain. “We knew we worked hard all summer and put in the preparation, so we couldn’t worry too much or it would get in our heads. We were confident and knew we could compete with all these teams. But it does cross my mind.” The Ocean City boys cross country team was dominant again this year, going undefeated in dual meets and winning county and Cape-Atlantic League titles. (Glory Days Magazine photo/Dave O’Sullivan) “It’s a huge deal. Louis and I take it seriously,” senior captain Eddie Keenan said about the winning streak. It’s an honor to be a part of a program with a tradition so outstanding … We have two graduates (who have run the mile) under 4 minutes. We are the only high school in New Jersey to do that. And the amount of titles, sectionals and conference titles, and individual titles are unreal. The tradition makes us really focus. We don’t want to lose. It is a lot of pressure. It’s constantly in the back of my head. We don’t want to be the team to lose.” If the runners don’t know how much winning means at Ocean City before signing up for the team, they know quickly after joining. When Paone and Keenan came in as freshman the streak was already a few years old. The Red Raiders duo are ending their careers without ever losing a dual meet. The upperclassmen set the example with the way they work, and what their expectations are every season. Ocean City is expected to compete for conference, league, county, sectional and state titles every season. The runners credit the coaches, head coach Matt Purdue and assistant coach Bill Moreland, for the team’s elite status. Moreland was the long-time head coach until Purdue took over six years ago. “When people ask me, I would tell them it was the water,” joked Moreland about what makes the Red Raiders so good. “The joke is that I don’t tell them if it’s the ocean or drinking water.” He added: “It’s a commitment everybody has made. The coaches are there in the summer and the kids make a commitment, I think that’s the biggest thing. We do all the same things everyone else is doing.” “There are no secrets and no magic formula,” Purdue said. “We have a consistency in our training and we try to utilize resources of Ocean City. We have the attitude that we have the best place to run and that is the Ocean City boardwalk. Of course that can encourage an athlete because it’s one of the most beautiful places. Ocean City is a big asset to the team over the years. When on a long run and you can look out and see the ocean, that’s a special thing.” There’s no doubt that Ocean City is one of the most picturesque towns in the state, but other places also have the ocean and a boardwalk to train on. There are teams up and down the coast that can run on a boardwalk, see the ocean, or even train on sand, but those programs don’t get the same results, Keenan said. Purdue, Moreland and the coaching staff deserve the credit and accolades they receive every season. “The main reason is Bill Moreland is his 36th season as part of the program, he has 36 years of knowledge, and coach Purdue is in his sixth year as head coach. He has a lot of experience running in college and in high school,” Keenan said. “He is more serious in many aspects and he is all business. Their coaching dynamic is as good as it gets.” “I think we have the best coaches in the state,” Paone said. “Bill Moreland knows what works and what doesn’t. Coach Purdue was a runner and both have been exposed to so many years in the sport and they understand what kind of training works and what doesn’t.” The results speak for themselves. Contact Giuseppe Ungaro: gungaro@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDgisepu.