OCEAN CITY – It was a clean football game from start to finish for the Ocean City Red Raiders, who rolled past Middle Township High School 37-13 on Oct. 9 – the school’s homecoming.
With two games remaining in the regular season, the Raiders improved their record to 6-1 which has already eclipsed last season’s win total.
Quarterback Jackson Becker has been at the forefront of the Raiders’ improvements this season and showed it off again against Middle Township with a four-touchdown game. Becker only had two incompletions for a final stat line of 200 combined yards.
“We had our best week of practice and preparation, and the kids did a great job,” Ocean City head coach Sean Matthews said. “We practice very well; we prepare the right way and then let the chips fall as they may on Friday.”
A key to Becker and the offense’s success against Middle Township was another big game from junior running back Cole Garreffi. Garreffi picked up nine first downs on the ground to keep the chains moving all game long.
“Cole has really come on here as of late,” Matthews said. “He’s explosive in the run game and got a good performance from the kids up front. We still have to do a better job being fundamentally strong offensively, but today was definitely a step in the right direction.”
Garreffi finished with 136 yards for his second consecutive game with more than 130 yards.
Ocean City got off to a strong start with its first possession, only needing four plays until Becker found Chase Dessicino for a 25-yard touchdown pass.
The defense quickly added another two points to the lead with a safety on the very next Middle Township drive. Michael Marczyk, who has made big plays on both sides of the ball this year, got a hold of the quarterback in the end zone and forced an intentional grounding penalty.
Raider pressure was the theme of the game as they kept quarterback Julian Broughton uncomfortable. Linemen Jake Chapman and Joe Pancoast forced him off his spot consistently and hurried his throws.
Becker and Garreffi remained clean behind their offensive line and rattled off two more touchdowns.
Garreffi ran for 60 yards on the two drives and let Becker take care of the rest with his own legs. The quarterback on a designed keeper scored from 3 yards out to push the score to 16-6. One drive later he wanted to find a receiver in the end zone but managed to scramble for a 20-yard score instead.
Ocean City took a 23-6 lead into halftime, which was the second consecutive week the team had scored three touchdowns in the first half.
The biggest difference between the two games was the continued great execution of the Raiders in the second half. Last week the team had a small scare with Oakcrest High School scoring 18 unanswered points to make the game close late.
Ocean City made sure no comeback attempt could be manifested from Middle Township with a long 61-yard touchdown pass to Trent Ocello. John Klebaur helped clean up for Garreffi in the second half and joined Ocello in scoring his first touchdown of the season.
Ocello received an increased role on offense while one of the biggest threats on the Raiders, Columb Higgins, was unable to play.
Higgin’s role as the team’s kicker also needed to be filled and was perfectly replicated by lineman Aron Desch, who made all five of his PATs.
The game against Middle Township was Ocean City’s homecoming game and signaled the end of the regular season home schedule for the Raiders. The team’s final two games are both on the road before potentially coming back to Carey Stadium to begin a postseason run.
A trip to Holy Spirit High School is on the docket for Ocean City Oct. 16. The Raiders will look to snap a two-game winning streak Holy Spirit has over them over the last two seasons. With a win the Raiders would have their best start since the 2021 season, when they finished the year 12-1. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. in Absecon. The final game of the season isset for 6 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 22, at Glassboro High School.
“We have a mature team that travels well,” Matthews said when asked about the teams’ last two regular season games being on the road. “It’s nothing new for us and we will be ready and excited for the opportunity to play Ocean City football next week.”
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
