OCEAN CITY – After a long offseason full of personnel changes, the Ocean City Red Raiders lacrosse team is off to a strong 2-1 start to the season.
Ocean City won its first two games by a combined score of 29-4 including a 17-0 shutout of the Egg Harbor Township Eagles April 2. Junior Anthony Pontari led the team with four goals for his second consecutive multi-score game to open the season.
Pontari scored all of his goals in the first half to set up a comfortable 12-0 lead at halftime. Fellow junior Jack Scherbin scored three goals of his own in the first half and brought his season total to six.
The duo leads a revamped Raider offense that only had one starter return from last season on that side of the field. A huge senior class took away Ocean City’s top four goal scorers, including Pat Grimley, who had an incredible 84-goal season last year.
New face-off specialist for Ocean City, Chris Garrabrant, won 70 percent of his face-offs against the Eagles and helped fuel the Raider offense. He also scored a goal himself after he won a face-off and charged down the field for a quick solo shot that reached the back of the net. Bryce Hanin and Michael Marczyk had two goals each and Liam Weber, Kai Cooke, Bruce Hunt, Nolan O’Kane and Charlie Beseris had a goal each.
Asked about the team’s performance early on, Ocean City head coach Joe LaTorre said his players are learning fast.
“Our offense right now is predominantly sophomores and juniors and they have been doing great for the competition we’ve been putting them against,” LaTorre said. “In our preseason we saw three ranked opponents and held our own in two of the three with a young group. They are still making young mistakes, but they are very coachable and are learning quickly from them.”
Despite the roster turnover, the Raiders played off each other and racked up 14 assists on their 17 goals against Egg Harbor Township. Sophomores Beseris and Liam Kazmarck had three assists each in the game and helped fellow sophomore Marczyk score twice before halftime.
One position that Ocean City did not have to fill in the offseason was goalie. Junior Henry Vaules is the starter for the second year in a row. Vaules played all 22 games for the Raiders last year in his first season as a goalie. In his first two starts, he has 11 saves and only four goals allowed.
“Vaules has been doing great for us along with (James) Burger who was in goal for us in the second half today,” LaTorre said. “The two of them have taken leaps and bounds in the offseason and both are competing for that starting job. In the preseason they both stood on their head and kept us in those games.”
After beating Woodstown 12-4 and then EHT, Vaules and the Raiders got started on a tough road schedule on April 4 as the team traveled to top-ranked St. Augustine Prep. Pontari scored twice for the Raiders but it was not enough as they fell to St. Augustine 11-4 for their first loss of the season.
After a rematch of last season’s playoff semifinals loss to Shawnee High School that was scheduled for Monday, the Raiders will turn their sights to another tough road game.
Ocean City will take on undefeated Washington Township High School on April 10. Game time is 4 p.m. Afterwards the Raiders will have a full week before their next game at Lower Cape May April 17.
– STORY by WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
– PHOTOS by DAVID NAHAN/Sentinel staff
