HAMMONTON — Everything came up positive for the Red Raiders as they got back into the win column Friday night.
Ocean City traveled to Hammonton to take on the St. Joseph Wildcats and took care of business, taking home a lopsided 42-7 victory.
“That was a workmanlike win, we just did what we had to do,” head coach Kevin Smith said after the game. “We were the better team up front, and we were able to run the ball on offense efficiently.”
After a disappointing performance on the ground last week versus Winslow Township, the Raiders put on a show versus St. Joseph.
Senior running back Duke Guenther ran all over the Wildcats defense. He scored four touchdowns and had more than 100 rushing yards on the day.
Guenther praised his offensive line.
“They blocked really well this week and played their butts off to get this win,” he said.
The victory brought Ocean City to 2-4 on the year and put them Red Raiders back into playoff contention.
Ryan Callahan got the Raiders going early by ripping the ball away from a Wildcat running back. The senior defensive lineman then picked up the fumble and ran the ball back 60 yards for a scoop and score touchdown to put his team up 6-0.
Following a short possession, a poor punt by the Wildcats gave the Raider offense great field position at the opposing 28-yard line.
Guenther ran the ball three times, including a walk-in touchdown to put the Raiders up 12-0.
A defensive penalty on the extra point attempt allowed Ocean City to go for 2 from the 1-yard line. They accepted the penalty and gave the ball to Guenther, who hit pay dirt once again to stretch the lead to 14 points.
The Raiders held a two-touchdown lead but a great punt return gave the Wildcats good field position. However, quarterback Anthony Salamone faced a consistent pass rush from the Raiders all game long.
On the third play of the drive, two Raiders forced Salamone to throw the ball off his back foot. The ball floated in the air and eventually landed in the hands of senior linebacker Nick Layton, who got great blocks down the sideline and scored an 80-yard pick 6. The extra point by senior Ryder Hay put the Raiders up 21-0 as the first quarter ended.
“The defense did a great job taking advantage of the opportunities that were there,” Smith said.
The defense had its only hiccup of the game at the start of the second quarter. Wildcat receiver Shane Reed caught a slant in the middle of the field and ran away from the defense for a 45-yard touchdown catch to put St. Joseph on the board at 21-7.
Constant penalties were a bane on Ocean City for the whole game. The Raiders were called for three separate penalties on the next drive but were able to overcome them.
Senior wide receiver Jon Moyer leapt into the air a caught a pass over a defender on 2nd and 20 from quarterback Walker Bailey, who put the ball into the perfect spot for Moyer to come down with it.
Two personal fouls on St. Joseph set up a 9-yard Guenther touchdown run. Earlier in the drive, Guenther broke a tackle in the backfield to stay on his feet and gain the first down. Ocean City went for another 2-point conversion with Guenther and succeeded, making the score 29-7.
The Wildcats finally got things going but Layton and the Ocean City defense held strong on 4th down to give their offense the ball back with 2 minutes left in the half.
Bailey started the drive with his legs, running for 20 yards on first down. Later on the drive, Guenther had a video game-like run as he spun three times on a single play. He would later score his third touchdown of the half.
Hay put the Raiders up 36-7 at halftime, with Guenther accounting for 20 of the points.
On the first drive of the second half, the Raiders offensive line created a giant hole for Guenther, and he ran untouched into the end zone for a 40-yard touchdown.
Another 4th down stop by the Raiders effectively ended the game as they took their foot off the gas in the fourth quarter.
They played a complete game on both sides of the ball and were able to overcome multiple penalties to win the game 42-7.
The Raiders will have to keep up this level of play to stay in the win column for the rest of the season.
Ocean City will look to win back-to-back games as they host the 5-1 Millville Thunderbolts at 6 p.m. Friday at Carey Stadium during Ocean City’s homecoming game.
By WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
