Coach says team needed to play error-free game to beat North Jersey power
By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY — Four turnovers were the undoing of the Red Raiders when they took on the Spartans on Friday night, Nov. 20, at Carey Stadium.
Ocean City was scheduled to play Camden in the final round of the West Jersey Football League Bracket B final, but when the Panthers had to cancel due to players testing positive for the coronavirus, the team arranged to play the northern New Jersey powerhouse.
The Red Raiders entered the game undefeated at 6-0, while DePaul Catholic was 2-2.
Ocean City had a dream start to the game, sacking quarterback Andrew Butler and stopping running back Jordan Sellers on a 1-yard gain, forcing a 3rd-and-16 from DePaul’s 13-yard-line. Butler dropped back to pass and was swarmed by a hive of Red Raiders in the end zone, resulting in a safety and a 2-0 lead at 9:40 of the first quarter.
Ocean City then took the free kick downfield in a 10-play, 43-yard drive, converting three 3rd-down attempts and ending with a 1-yard touchdown run by senior Jake Inserra for an 8-0 lead. Junior placekicker Brendan McGonigle put the extra point through the uprights to make it 9-0 at 5:08.
“We were executing really well, but to beat a team like that you have to play a clean football game and once we started turning the ball over, things got away from us,” head coach Kevin Smith said.
The Spartans narrowed the lead just 22 seconds later. DePaul got a good return from senior De’Mere White on the ensuing kickoff and the Spartans started their drive from their own 44-yard line. On the first play, Butler hit junior A’Khoury Lyde down the middle for a 56-yard touchdown. Placekicker Matthew Wilderson’s extra point was good, making it 9-7 at 4:46 of the first quarter.
The Red Raiders managed a 1st down on their next drive but had to punt.
A personal foul after the kick, one of many penalties by both teams throughout the game, put DePaul back at its own 16-yard line. Butler quickly hit A’Khoury for a 15-yard gain but a holding call and a false start had the Spartans facing a 3rd-and-37 from their own 21-yard line. Butler’s short pass was complete but went nowhere, and DePaul was forced to punt.
A good kick found Ocean City set up at their own 28-yard line to start the next drive. The Red Raiders gained 5 yards on the ground before a false start put them back where they started on 3rd down. That’s when senior quarterback Joe Repetti found tight end Mike Gray for a 42-yard completion to the Spartans’ 30-yard line. A flag for roughing the passer tacked on another 15 yards to give the Red Raiders a 1st down at the 15-yard line. Inserra bulled his way for 4 yards and Repetti ran for 6, giving Ocean City a 1st down at the 5-yard line. An encroachment penalty moved the ball forward to the 2. Inserra ran twice for no gain before Repetti took it across the goal line for a touchdown. The extra point made it 16-7 Red Raiders with 5:31 remaining in the half.
DePaul began its next outing from the 20-yard line after a touchback on the kickoff. This drive featured more flags than the United Nations headquarters in New York.
Butler found junior Marshawn Ferguson for 15 yards, but the Spartans were flagged for illegal procedure on the next play. On 2nd-and-11, Butler connected with Ferguson for a big gain but a penalty for unsportsmanlike conduct after the play put the DePaul back to its own 46. A pass-interference call on the next play moved the Spartans into the Red Raiders’ side of the field to the 39-yard line. A 10-yard pass set the Spartans up with a 1st down at Ocean City’s 29 before a false start backed them up again. The Red Raiders then were penalized for pass interference again, giving DePaul a 1st-and-10 at the 19. Butler hit Ferguson for 15 yards and the Spartans kept it on the ground the rest of the way, with Butler toting the ball across the goal line for a touchdown. Wilderson made it 16-14 with 2:03 remaining in the half.
This drive would prove to be the turning point in the game. Ocean City had started the game with guns a-blazin’ but had lost momentum. The Red aiders had enough time to take it back before halftime, or at least go into the locker room with the lead. Neither happened.
Senior Jake Schneider returned the kickoff to the 22-yard line, then caught a pass for 11 yards. On 1st-and-10 from the 33, Repetti’s pass was almost intercepted and, after a sideline pass to Inserra went nowhere, his next one was. Repetti was forced out of the pocket and scrambled to his right before letting fly downfield and into the hands of a defender. As was common in this game, another flag was thrown but it was for an illegal forward pass by Repetti, which the Spartans declined.
With the clock ticking down, DePaul had good field position plus its timeouts and a chance to take the lead. Starting from the Red Raiders’ 46, Butler hit Ferguson for 17 yards, then junior Edward Conoran for 15. A penalty for illegal procedure backed the Spartans up to the 19 but a quick throw had them looking at 1st-and-goal from the 10. That’s when Butler found senior tight end Nuccio Lisitano in the end zone to take a lead DePaul would never relinquish. The extra point made it 20-16 Spartans as time expired in the half.
Fortunately for Ocean City, the Red Raiders received the ball first in the second half. Unfortunately for Ocean City, the Red Raiders fumbled the ball away and DePaul recovered at the 28-yard line.
On 1st down, White picked his way through defenders to the 1-yard line then into pay dirt on the next play. The extra point was good and the Spartans’ lead was 28-16 at 11:08 of the third quarter.
“I thought them scoring right before half and us turning the ball over on the kickoff to open the second half just swung momentum completely. They are a big-play team and great passing attack, and we just gave them too many opportunities,” Smith said.
The Red Raiders’ next drive started at their own 20 and went nowhere, forcing Ocean City to punt from the shadow of their goalpost.
DePaul had the lead, the momentum and the ball at Ocean City’s 49. The Spartans decided to start eating up the clock, keeping the ball on the ground for most of the drive until Butler connected with Lyde for a 23-yard touchdown. Wilderson’s extra point put DePaul up 35-16 at 7:39 of the third quarter.
The Red Raiders’ woes would continue on the next drive when Repetti’s 1st-down throw to Brady Rauner — who had made the game-clinching interception the previous week against St. Joseph Academy — was intercepted.
The Spartans again started a possession in the Red Raiders’ territory, this time from the 38-yard line. Ocean City’s defense stiffened, giving up a 1-yard run and blocking a pass to force a punt. A holding penalty gave the Red Raiders the ball at DePaul’s 46 but Ocean City went nowhere and turned it over on downs.
DePaul then marched downfield in five plays, ending with a 26-yard touchdown pass from Butler to Ferguson. The kick was good and the Spartans led 42-16 with 3:03 left in the third quarter.
Ocean City started putting in its backups at this point to get them playoff experience. Jack Hoag took the kickoff out to the 25-yard line and fellow sophomore Riley Gunnels entered the game under center. He was welcomed to the game with a 6-yard sack on his first play. Two plays later the Red Raiders fumbled and the Spartans recovered, advancing to the 1-yard line before being stopped by a horse collar tackle. Butler took it across the line on a quarterback keeper and Wilderson made the extra point to stretch the Spartans’ lead to 49-16 with 1:36 remaining in the third quarter.
The Red Raiders did end the game on a high note, mounting a 15-play, 80-yard drive ending with a 21-yard touchdown toss from Gunnels to tight end Brad Jamison. A false start moved the extra point attempt back 5 yards and McGonigle’s kick was no good, setting the final score at 49-22 DePaul.
It was the second straight loss in a title game for Ocean City, which fell 28-0 to Shawnee in last season’s South Jersey Group IV final.
“They’re disappointed,” Smith said of his players. “We knew what we were getting ourselves involved with tonight by playing this team but we felt like we could play with them, and we did for a half. We just made too many mistakes. These guys are hurt, especially the seniors. This is the last game on their home field but it’s a good character group, we’ll bounce back.”
Ocean City was supposed to finish the football season at Pleasantville High School with the annual Thanksgiving Day rivalry, but Pleasantville canceled the game.