Ocean City fall sports teams enjoyed memorable seasons

By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Publisher Apparel vendors had better make sure they are fully stocked with red jackets and T-shirts and white thread, as Ocean City sports teams will be putting in orders for championship gear shortly. This fall season has seen a resurgence in the long-standing pride of Red Raider athletics, as nearly all of the high school’s sports teams have enjoyed incredible seasons. Of the seven combined sports – football, boys and girls cross country, boys and girls soccer, girls tennis and field hockey – Ocean City posted a combined record of 83-29-1, a winning percentage of .734. That means of games the Red Raiders were involved in, they won nearly three out of every four. If that isn’t enough, here’s a list of some of the highlights: The girls cross country team went undefeated in dual meets (9-0) and won the county and Cape-Atlantic League championships, and were South Jersey Group III champions; boys cross country also went undefeated (10-0) and ran its dual-meet winning streak to 53 straight in the process, and also won the county and CAL titles; the football team won four of its last six games and had one of the CAL’s top running backs in Frank Woolley; girls soccer went 11-4 and earned a berth in the state playoffs; and girls tennis went 11-8 and scored a state playoff win over Delsea Regional. The boys soccer team had one of its best seasons in years, tallying a 19-5-1 record that included a top seed in the South Jersey Group III tournament. They beat Ocean City senior April Stein gets set prior to the Group III championship game against Warren Hills. The Red Raiders won the title on a goal by Kelly Hanna with no time left in double-overtime. (Glory Days Magazine photos/Dave O’Sullivan) Moorestown and Timber Creek en route to winning a South Jersey championship, and goalie Evan McCardell recorded 14 shutouts, including four straight in the sectional playoffs. The field hockey team, long a powerhouse in South Jersey, began the year stumbling to a 5-3 record. There were whispers that perhaps the Red Raiders were finally coming back to the pack and a second straight state championship was all but a pipe dream. But then the Red Raiders went on an incredible run, losing just three more times the final two months of the season. One of those losses was to national power Eastern Regional, and another was to one of the state’s top teams, Shore Regional, in the Tournament of Champions. Along the way Ocean City tied for the Cape-Atlantic League’s American Conference title with Mainland Regional and Egg Harbor Township, then beat rival Mainland 1-0 to win the South Jersey Group III championship on the Mustangs’ home field. They then took down Allentown in the Group III semifinal before winning the state championship in dramatic fashion over Warren Hills. “I think everyone is really excited about how successful all the teams have been,” said Kelly Hanna, a junior on the field hockey team. “We were thinking how awesome it would be if we all won championships, whether it be South Jersey or state or whatever. The cross country team had states the same day as us and we were thinking, how cool would it be if we each won on the same day?” After a grueling 80 minutes of scoreless action at Toms River East High School in the Group III field hockey championship, Warren Hills was whistled for a foul with one second remaining in double overtime. Ocean City was awarded an untimed corner and Hanna smashed home a goal from 10 yards out as the Red Raiders beat the Blue Streak 1-0, capturing the title in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. To recap: A win streak was extended to 53, six of the seven teams made the playoffs, four CAL championships, three sectional championships, a state championship and a berth in the Tournament of Champions. Not too shabby for a little school nestled against the boardwalk in an island town. “The good thing is Ocean City is fairly used to having success … I think this year was different because of the way in which our successful teams won, like the final game for field hockey was just incredible going to two overtimes. And our boys soccer had an incredible run as well as our cross country teams. Fall is our season here, it must be the salt air,” said Athletic Director Dr. Christine Lentz. “Our fall programs all start very early with training. These kids are committed from that last day of school until the first day of the season. So the success doesn’t come from luck. The coaches are very committed and the kids really buy into the program.” Hanna said that, ironically, it was the field hockey team – long the most dominant of the fall sports teams – that got off to the roughest start. “We were all kind of down on ourselves and not sure of what to do in that situation because none of us had ever experienced something like that,” Hanna said of the team’s sluggish start. “One thing we did do was stay positive. We knew that no matter what the playoffs would be a different story and that anything could happen.” Ocean City boys soccer player Kyle Millar hugs head coach Aaron Bogushefsky after the Red Raiders captured the South Jersey Group III championship. “The support compared to last year has been just incredible. A lot of people doubted us and thought we weren’t going to do that well, but we strung together a bunch of wins and people started coming to games and started to like watching us play because we play an exciting style of soccer. The crowds grew with every game,” said boys soccer player Zack Sakena. “Our girls soccer team was doing well this year, and field hockey. It was very exciting. They would come to our games and we would go to theirs. The field hockey team has been incredible year after year, just dominating people.” Said Dr. Lentz, “Our sports teams are extremely supported by our community. They get as excited as we do here (at the school). The city is asking our athletes to walk in all the parades. It’s awesome. It’s part of the unique character of being an island school. Our kids are always one of the centerpieces of our community.” Hanna said she has had some time to think about this past season of Ocean City sports and said she is glad everything came together for so many of the teams. “It was all so exciting and I don’t think I would have wanted it any other way, looking back,” Hanna said. “It’s the best feeling knowing that you always can make a comeback.” Dr. Lentz said students at the high school have been buzzing about the success of the sports teams and are eager to carry that enthusiasm into the winter season. T-shirts are being designed to wear to basketball games as excitement seems to have reached a fever pitch. “We have a large Raider Nation following, whether it’s at a field hockey game or a football game, they are there and they love it. They have started designing shirts for the winter and the theme is ‘Raider Nation.’ It’s kind of a little competition about which shirts will be the best when they wear them to basketball games. It’s a very exciting time here at Ocean City.” Hanna said that the success of all the teams certainly produced a buzz in the school hallways and classrooms. “I still hear about it sometimes in school from teachers and kids talking about it,” Hanna said. “I think it’s best when we are all supporting each other. The sports teams can get in their fair share of arguments, but when we are all supporting each other it’s a good feeling. It’s nice to have people coming to your games and supporting you a
nd then you go to their games. It’s always fun when you get big crowds at the games.” Sakena said having the support of people in town, parents, teachers and coaches goes a long way toward building successful sports programs, and that he was glad the town rallied around all the teams as they chased down championships. “No one wants to go and watch your team lose, and when teams are winning people want to go watch. From our first game of the season to our last game at home, it was incredible how many people were there,” Sakena said. “I used to talk about it with Steve (Pashuck) and Brendan (Macfarlane) that if we made the South Jersey finals (the Tennessee Avenue field) would be packed and the entire parking lot would be filled. That was our goal and we had a good showing. We went undefeated at home and only allowed two goals on our home field all year. We knew that on our home field no one could beat us. We had that confidence.” Sakena said he hopes the success Red Raiders teams have had this fall might help Ocean City gain some respect back, not only in the Cape-Atlantic League, but also throughout South Jersey. The Boys soccer team beat a strong West Deptford team in the South Jersey Coaches Tournament, then shut out Timber Creek, one of the top scoring teams in South Jersey, in the sectional final. “We had a big win against West Deptford and I think from that game we got a lot of respect,” Sakena said. “When you beat a team from West Jersey or more toward central Jersey you get a lot more respect. We went to the Coaches Tournament semifinals and lost to Timber Creek, but, honestly, we dominated them and we earned a lot of respect among teams up there. At the end of that week we were ranked third in the Courier-Post poll. “Our football team did well compared to past years and the soccer teams, we brought back Ocean City soccer and how great it was in the early 2000s. The field hockey team is always great and the cross country teams did really well. That’s kind of an individual sport, but you need five good runners to win a meet.” Just like any well-run business, a successful high school athletic program starts at the top, and Dr. Lentz credits the efforts of coaches such as Cory Terry, Kevin Smith, Matt Purdue, Trish Henry, Aaron Bogushefsky, Kelly Halliday and Samantha Newgas, as well as a slew of assistant coaches, for the outstanding seasons the teams enjoyed. “I couldn’t be more proud (of the coaches). The coaches don’t do anything for money. The time they put in is incredible,” Dr. Lentz said. “It’s never about winning. For instance, the field hockey team is a tremendous community supporter. They sponsor kids in other countries, they help out in soup kitchens, they walk in all the cancer walks. Part of their success is they are a true family and they give back so much to the community. Every girl is involved, ninth grade through 12th grade and that’s part of coach Terry’s philosophy in building a program.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays [adsense type=”banner” align=”center”]