OCEAN CITY – Behind freshman quarterback Jackson Becker, the Ocean City Red Raiders scored a season-high 42 points in their playoff opener.
Becker accounted for 161 yards and two touchdowns as Ocean City High School took down Allentown High School 42-34 Nov. 1. The win was most likely the Raiders’ seniors last home game of the season.
Asked about his memories playing at Carey Stadium, senior Colin Thompson said, “It’s a huge win for us but especially for these seniors. We grew up playing on this field when we were younger. From being freshmen all the way until now we have been here playing. To get one last win on the home field in front of this nice crowd and atmosphere is awesome.”
After a slow 1-3 finish to the regular season in which they were shut out twice, the Raiders found a much-needed hot start with Becker and the upperclassmen.
Thompson has played numerous positions for the Raiders but made his mark on the opening kickoff. He fielded the ball at the 12-yard line and once the play developed, sprinted down the middle of the field nearly untouched for an 88-yard kickoff return touchdown.
That was Ocean City’s first kickoff returned for a touchdown all season.
For the remainder of the game, Allentown refused to kick the ball deep to Thompson. Each ensuing kickoff gave the Raider offense excellent field position after the short squib kicks.
“Coming in I felt if we could control the clock by running the ball and keeping their offense off the field we would be in good shape,” Ocean City head coach Kevin Smith said. “Obviously the kickoff return by Colin got us started but from then on I feel it played out how we hoped it would.”
The Raiders gained 236 yards on the ground and dominated the time of possession. Junior running back Triston Schmidt ran for 119 yards and scored two touchdowns. It was Schmidt’s third game this year in which he reached the end zone twice. He also picked up his longest run of the season with a 42-yard touchdown.
Becker had previously come in and split snaps with senior Walker Bailey at quarterback but was given a much larger role in the playoff opener. Bailey came in throughout the game and scored on a quarterback sneak, but Becker received most of the snaps.
The freshman ran for 80 yards and came up big for the Raiders when they needed him. With a minute left before halftime Becker was flushed out of the pocket. Right before the defense got ahold of him, he launched the ball to the corner of the end zone to Thompson, who came down with the touchdown. That gave Ocean City a commanding 28-13 halftime lead and Thompson’s second TD of the day.
After the game, Smith described Becker’s performance as “excellent football” and gave his thoughts on the change at quarterback.
“The intention was to use them both again but maybe give Jackson a longer look,” Smith said. “But he just started off well and I had a good vibe with how things were unfolding. So, I just thought he was the hot hand and that I am going to ride with him.”
The 6-4 Raiders won their first playoff game since 2021 but will face their toughest test of the season in the next round.
Next up for the Raiders is a road trip up near New York City to Somerville High School in the Central Jersey Group III semifinals. It is the second straight year that Ocean City was placed in the Central Jersey bracket. The Raiders dispatched Allentown but will face another unfamiliar powerhouse school.
Somerville earned the number one overall seed in the bracket with an undefeated 10-0 record so far this year. Somerville won its quarter-final game 40-0 over Absegami High School.
Ocean City will be at Somerville at 7 p.m. Nov. 8.
The playoffs feature the best teams around and Ocean City already had a taste of an explosive offense in the quarterfinals against Allentown.
Allentown quarterback Matthew Schweitzer gave the Raider defense trouble all game long. He finished the game with 385 yards passing, four touchdowns, and only five incompletions. All three of Allentown’s fourth-quarter possessions ended in touchdowns but the Raiders managed to win the shootout.
After a touchdown by Allentown, the Raiders defense managed to stop the 2-point conversion and kept the lead at nine points. Becker and the offense marched down the field in response until they were met with a fourth down and 12.
On the opposing 25-yard line, coach Smith opted to go for it and left it in the hands of Becker. The freshman launched his pass over a defender in the end zone and landed it directly into J.P. Forster’s hands as he jumped up to grab it. Forster’s extra point extended the Raider lead to 35-19, but Allentown refused to go away.
Both offenses kept trading blows in the fourth quarter as Schweitzer did everything in his power to claw Allentown back into the game. Schweitzer marched down the field and brought his team within one score of a tie game.
In a game full of highlight plays, Becker’s final run might have been his best. The quarterback dropped back to pass but found nobody open. He found a hole in the defense to run through and picked up nearly 40 yards for an instant scoring opportunity.
Schmidt picked up his second touchdown of the day from nine yards out and effectively clinched the game.
