See related story of the championship game here
The Ocean City Red Raiders and Mainland Mustangs squaring off for a sectional basketball title last week is a proper occasion to reflect on the rivalry between the two schools, which dates back more than 60 years.
“It’s huge, it’s gigantic,” said Mustangs head football coach Chuck Smith. “It’s big with the kids, the community, the staffs involved. It’s funny how it always comes down to Mainland-Ocean City.
“It’s like this in every sport – soccer, cross country, track and field, football, basketball, baseball – it’s always this intense rivalry. The thing that’s really cool about it, in my opinion, is there are people who are friends on both sides,” Smith said. “So there are always people who know each other and it’s a friendly rivalry. You know it’s heated too. But I think it’s a great thing for the communities.”
“It’s all about the kids,” Mainland athletic director Mike Gatley said. “I’m born and raised in the Cape-Atlantic League myself and I always look forward to the rivalry games, and certainly Ocean City is one of them. To me, it’s awesome for the kids. Obviously you also have the parents and community, but I look at it more for the kids’ sake. How exciting is this?”
Like any good rivalry, it’s been anything but one-sided or predictable.
When the two schools clash it doesn’t seem to matter what kind of year the teams are having; it’s almost always a battle.
“Throw everybody’s records out the window for these games,” Smith said. “No matter what sport, what time of the season it is, throw it out. Case in point – the football game this year. They beat us in the season, we win the sectional title. They had kind of a down year but they beat us in the regular season. It’s just one of those things.
“The game tonight,” Smith said of the No. 1 seed Mainland Mustang girls hosting the No. 2 seed Ocean City Red Raiders, “we beat them twice this year but the players and the coaches know that doesn’t mean anything right now. The rivalry just brings out everybody’s best game.”
“Honestly, what I think is so amazing about this rivalry is it doesn’t matter what the records are,” Gatley said. “One school could be this or one school could be that, but the bottom line is when these schools play all that gets thrown out. It’s just about the kids competing with each other. So for me there’s not really any particular moments that stand out.
“We know every time these teams meet, in whatever sport, it means something to the kids. That’s what’s awesome about it to me,” Gatley added.
The South Jersey title game Feb. 28 proved another shining example when the Red Raiders upset Mainland.
“We lost to them twice,” Ocean City resident Chris Morton said. “But we did a good job defensively and their shooting was off. It was just a great game.”
“I told my parents on the way here, Ocean City and Mainland in the South Jersey championship,” former Raider defensive lineman Austin Green said. “Might as well call it the Battle of the Bridges. Both teams left everything on the court.”
Familiarity always helps stir the pot as well.
Some of the kids have played against each other since grammar school
“The bridge is the only thing that separates us, right?” Gatley said. “You’ve got parents who went to O.C. whose kids are at Mainland, you have people who went to Mainland whose kids are at O.C. So there’s a lot of crossover there too,” he added. “So I think the proximity plays in. And I think if you look at tradition and families, somebody somewhere is an Ocean City person or a Mainland person. I think that’s really cool.”
“In lacrosse, for example, Ocean City did not have its own lacrosse team when I was playing,” Green explained. “So those kids came over to the Upper Warriors. Even back then, Mainland had a team and Upper had a team and it was a rivalry. So it’s been around for years. People say it’s one of the oldest rivalries in the state.”
“My daughter has been playing with the Mazurs and Kasey Bretone in AAU ball,” Chris Morton said, “so they all know each other.”
“I’m fourth generation out of Ocean City High School,” Green said. “My grandfather played, my dad played, I played, and there’s always been that rivalry. It’s always one of the best games.”
Local hoops fan Richard Spurlock attended Mainland but has resided in Upper for more than 30 years.
His three children attended OCHS.
“I enjoy it so much,” he said. “If I have to spend the month of February here, then I’m going to use basketball season to help me get through it.”
Spurlock got to watch the Raiders steadily improve to championship-level.
“I go to a lot of games, road games as well,” Spurlock said. “I would pick whichever I thought had the better match-up between the boys or the girls. I really had a great time this year watching the teams grow.”
Does Spurlock feel torn between the two schools, having played point guard for the Mustangs?
“No, no, no,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m strictly on the Ocean City side.”
Everyone seems to have a favorite moment between the foes, and there’s certainly no shortage of wild ones.
“Mine always go back to football and there are a couple of basketball ones,” Smith said. “I think back to the ‘90s when they were the big team and we upset them. Then they got theirs on us in ‘99 when they were undefeated and upset us at Rutgers. In basketball a couple years ago when we had Kylee (Watson) her senior year and they pulled an upset out on us. (Mainland was the defending state champion at the time.)
There are always those big ones whether you’re on the winning side or not. There are plenty in the folder.”
“Playing football, it was always one of the greatest atmospheres,” Green said. “Now I’m a senior in college, I’m 22 years old, and if I could go back in time to my junior or senior year and play in those games I would absolutely love to do it. Boys and girls basketball games were always the hypest atmospheres other than football, and that’s coming from a football player. It made me want to jump onto the court. Granted, I never played basketball, but it was amazing.”
This (in theory) impartial reporter also wrestled at Ocean City and has a favorite of his own.
My junior year we wrestled at Mainland and, in my first varsity match in the rivalry, I won a major decision to help our team win a tight one.
Tuesday’s contest was another classic, Ocean City pulling out the upset.
“Both teams played their hearts out,” Green said. “My sister is currently a junior and I’m happy she got to be part of this and Ocean City was able to get this win.”
Morton understandably was all about the present, over the moon after watching his daughter A’yanna become a champion.
“Since my daughter was a freshman I’ve been watching,” Morton said. For her to go out a champion, it doesn’t get better. They worked so hard. My daughter is a senior and she’s going out a champion. I couldn’t ask for any more. She deserves it.”
It undoubtedly won’t be too long before these two rivals dazzle the fans again whether it’s on the field, court, mat, pool or hardwood.
By KYLE McCRANE/Sentinel Sports