OCEAN CITY — The Ocean City High School boys swim team solidified its second-place standing in the South Jersey Group B Power Points, behind lead Mainland Regional, after the Jan. 22 win over Clearview.
The Red Raider boys are now 7-3 on the season, behind points-leader Mainland, giving both teams home meets in the sectional playoffs and potentially setting up another South Jersey final between the cross-bay rivals.
Mainland (7-1) has won the past three South Jersey titles in a row and could be poised for a fourth. Shawnee (5-3) remains in the mix and is third in Power Points with Cherry Hill West (4-3-1) fourth.
Ocean City earned the top seed in the sectional last season with Mainland at No. 2. The Mustangs topped the Red Raiders 97-73 at Gloucester County Institute of Technology (GCIT) to win the 2024-25 title.
The Mustangs beat Shawnee 95-75 to win the 2023-24 South Jersey title and the year before knocked off Ocean City in a controversial meet at Camden Tech — a meet that featured a double-disqualification of Red Raider swimmers in one event. That meet ended 87-83 in Mainland’s favor.
Ocean City won its first sectional title in some 60 years in the 2021-22 season, beating Moorestown 90-80.
The Mustangs beat Ocean City 102-68 when the two teams met this season in mid-December. Mainland’s only regular-season loss was in the opener, 93-77, to St. Augustine Prep.
OCHS 124, Clearview 46
The Red Raiders controlled the Jan. 22 match against Clearview from early in the meet.
Jason Chojnacki, Mihail Mosendz, Arthur Flukey and Anthony Buonadonna won the opening 200-meter medley relay in 2 minutes and 0.18 seconds. Teammates Connor Lapsley, Joe Mayan, Toby Burke and Colin Schweim were third.
Ocean City followed that by sweeping the top three places in the 200 meter freestyle led by Wilson Stauffer (2:10.85), Mitchell Zappone and Jack Howard.
Mosendz (2:22.68) and Flukey went 1-2 in the 200 individual medley with Ryan Slaven fourth.
Clearview’s Eddie Gabriel won the 50 freestyle in 26 seconds flat with Raiders Jack Scherbin, Schweim and Buonadonna second, third and fifth.
Gabriel followed that with a win in the 100 butterfly in 1:03.68. Raiders Stauffer, Chojnacki and Burke were second, third and fourth.
Scherbin (59.91) and Schweim were first and second in the 100 freestyle with teammate Liam Koch fourth.
Flukey (4:51.13) and Slaven finished first and second in the 400 freestyle with Brendan Gallagher fourth.
Mosendz, Buonadonna, Scherbin and Stauffer teamed up to win the 200 freestyle in 1:46.06. Teammates Zappone, Ryan Southard, Kai Cooke and Koch took second.
Chojnacki won the 100 backstroke in 1:09.08, leading a 1-2-3 sweep with Mayan and Lapsley.
Mosendz took the 100 breaststroke in 1:15. Zappone was second and Burke fourth for Ocean City.
The meet ended with Stauffer, Flukey, Schweim and Scherbin winning the 400 freestyle relay. Their time was 4:04.92. Raiders Gallagher, Slaven, Chojnacki and Koch were third.
Formal seeding for the South Jersey tournament was set for Tuesday, Jan. 27, with the first round of swimming Feb. 2 at the higher seed. South Jersey finals are Feb. 11 at GCIT.
The boys Cape-Atlantic League Championships are set for this Thursday at Atlantic City High School.
– STORY by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
At top, Wilson Stauffer in the backstroke in an earlier meet against Middle Township.