LINWOOD – Playing in their last home game as Mainland Mustangs, the senior class led by quarterback John Franchini gave the home crowd and arch-rival Ocean City Red Raiders one last performance to remember them.
The senior quarterback scored five touchdowns and gained 258 yards as the Mustangs decimated Ocean City 43-7 in the first round of the South Jersey Group III playoffs Nov. 1. Mainland led wire-to-wire and extended its win streak over Ocean City to four straight games.
“We knew coming into this week it was probably going to be our last home game,” Franchini said. “All our seniors got together and watched film and bonded this week knowing that. I believe that bond showed on the field today because we were all grooving. It means the world to me to win our last game here.”
Franchini found senior wide receivers Jake Blum and Liam Kennedy early in the first quarter for touchdowns to get the Mustangs rolling behind a 15-0 lead. Franchini’s three scores through the air helped him break the Cape-Atlantic League record for most career touchdown passes with 71 and counting.
Mainland head coach Chuck Smith said after the game that the team came in “focused and determined” this week against its biggest rivals.
“We had a battle with them the first game where we got off to a good start like today,” Smith said. “Ocean City had a great win last week and they are no slouch, especially when you have to play somebody twice.”
The first game this season between Mainland and Ocean City had a frantic start in which all the game’s points were scored in the first half. In that game Mainland took a 20-point lead and never relinquished it in a 20-7 win back on Oct. 3.
Ocean City qualified for the postseason after a thrilling win over Cedar Creek where the Raiders played their best game of the season. The Raiders won 20-17 Oct. 24 in overtime behind a touchdown and two field goals by star player Triston Schmidt.
Schmidt had been the Raiders’ bell cow running back all season long and leaned on his and quarterback Jackson Becker’s legs to move the ball. The duo had 171 yards on the ground against Cedar Creek but a week later were met with a stone-wall Mustang defense.
Mainland’s defense did not let Becker use his scrambling ability at all, as the Mustang defensive line constantly harassed him in the backfield. Mainland recorded seven sacks on the day and held Ocean City to its fewest yardage totals of the season.
“The defense played outstanding today and really shut Ocean City down,” Smith said. “They gave our offense multiple opportunities which we cashed in on more times than not.”
Schmidt created a brief spark on the opening kickoff of the third quarter after he returned the kick 91 yards for a touchdown. After his own extra point, Ocean City trailed by a score, 15-7.
Franchini and the offense shut the door on the comeback attempt about as quickly as it opened as the Mustangs went on to score 28 unanswered points in the second half. The quarterback got to use his legs more and broke free for a 51-yard touchdown run, which put him over 100 yards rushing on the day.
“On that first touchdown run maybe one person touched me. It was great blocking. Everything is so much easier when my o-line blocks and they did a helluva job today.”
Blum and Lucas DeBiaso wrapped up the scoring with a touchdown each and sent Mainland onto the second round of the postseason.
After facing a familiar opponent in the first round of the playoffs, the Mustangs’ quest for a third consecutive trip to the state championship game will take them to Burlington Township High School at 6 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7. Burlington Township boasts an undefeated 10-0 record as the bracket’s number one seed, but Mainland will come in winners of four of its last five games.
Red Raiders finish 5-5
The first season for Ocean City under head coach Sean Matthews came to an end with a record of 5-5. Asked about his message to the team in the last postgame huddle, Matthews said, “I just tried to relate it to life.”
“What we are trying to do out here is teach these boys life lessons,” Matthews said. “You work so hard and prepare every way you can for what you want and then it does not go your way. I told them the only way to get over it was to come to work on Monday. At the end I told them how proud I was of them, and they should walk around school with their heads held high because they are special.”
The sophomore quarterback Becker will have a brand-new supporting cast around him after Ocean City’s leading rusher Schmidt and other seniors graduate in the spring. Becker’s weapons on the outside were almost exclusively seniors such as Ryan Hendricks, Clay Compton and T.J Santarpio, who all contributed to the offense. Along with their leading rusher, the Raiders will miss their main deep threat Michael Ragazzi, who was dangerous over the middle of the field with his tall frame.
“A lot of those kids have been a part of the program for four years and some of them played a lot for us down the stretch,” Matthews said. “Other guys had to wait their turn like an Ethan O’Reilly or an Ayden Majors, who played a lot of meaningful snaps for us, who got on the field as seniors and gave everything they have. Those seniors are a great example of what an Ocean City football player is, so we want those underclassmen to embody their work habits and character.”
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
