HAMMONTON — Lightning did not strike twice for the Ocean City High School football team.
A week earlier, the Red Raiders were catapulted into the playoffs by Ryder Hay’s walk-off field goal against the Hammonton Blue Devils.
Ocean City would get hit by a sense of déjà vu, as its first opponent in the playoffs was Hammonton again for the second straight week.
The Raiders were confident coming off their big win in the first game, but the Blue Devils were seeking revenge.
Ocean City could not hold on as they suffered a devastating 23-22 defeat to Hammonton. Kenny Smith delivered the dagger as he scored the go-ahead touchdown run in the final 30 seconds of the game.
“One game we win by three, the next they win by one. I mean, it could not get any tighter,” Ocean City head coach Kevin Smith said after the loss. “We had a couple plays near the end of the game I thought could have ended it, but we weren’t able to and then they were able to make something happen. It was just one of those games where whichever team makes the big play last wins.”
Both teams wanted to make a statement early as the offenses started hot.
Ocean City’s first drive saw wide receiver Jon Moyer haul in a pass over the middle and run 60 yards down the sideline before being tackled.
The senior’s long catch and run set up running back Duke Guenther for an easy touchdown run up the middle.
The Raiders’ 7-0 lead did not last long as the Blue Devils marched downfield on their first possession. They ran 10 plays without facing a third down as Smith ran into the end zone for his first touchdown of the game.
After an Ocean City drive stalled, a good punt return put Hammonton in great field position.
The Blue Devils proceeded to feed Smith the ball and the Raider defense seemingly had no answer.
He capped off the drive with a 36-yard touchdown run in which he sprinted past the entire defense. Hammonton attempted a fake PAT for two points but the Raider defense turned it away and the score stood at 13-7.
Ocean City could not get out of its own way in the second quarter and let multiple opportunities slip away.
They were able to get into the red zone thanks to another long pass, but the play was called back due to an illegal man down field penalty, which eventually led to a punt.
Hammonton’s special teams has been inconsistent versus Ocean City and led to their demise the previous week.
On the punt, a Blue Devil returner could not control the ball and the Raiders fell on top of it to give them a first down on the opposing 30-yard line. Another special teams blunder had set the Raiders up beautifully to take the lead.
Unfortunately, nothing went right on the ensuing drive as a Raider dropped a wide-open touchdown. They ran the same play again, but the second time junior quarterback Walker Bailey was sacked immediately, bringing up a fourth and 19. The Raiders failed to convert and gave the ball back to Hammonton.
Ocean City’s defense then gave up four first downs on a 13-play Blue Devil drive. They bent but did not break as senior Nick Layton got a sack and forced a fourth-down incompletion to keep Hammonton out of the end zone.
The defense showed up when it had to and kept the deficit at 13-7 going into halftime.
After the break, the Raiders seemed energized and were ready to take command of the game.
But a promising drive was pushed back by two false start penalties in a row.
Another opportunity was flying past the Raiders, but Guenther was able to reel it back in. He caught the ball, broke two tackles and ran down the sideline for the game-tying touchdown.
Hay’s extra point put the Raiders on top 14-13 midway through the third quarter.
On the next drive, the Raider defense gave up a couple of first downs but did not surrender a big play.
Gavin Kovacs gave Hammonton the lead with a 28-yard field goal to make the score 16-14.
But that lead lasted for exactly 10 seconds as Moyer took the kickoff 92 yards for an electrifying touchdown to end the third quarter.
The Raider sideline was ecstatic as Moyer delivered their most important touchdown of the season. Bailey converted a two-point conversion to junior Joey Berardis to extend the lead to 22-16.
Moyer and Guenther have been the stars of the Raiders offense all year, consistently making big plays for their team when they are needed most. The senior duo is leaving some big shoes to fill in the 2024 season.
A six-point lead entering the fourth quarter was not enough as a touchdown and extra point by Hammonton would allow them to take the lead instead of tying the game.
Ocean City burned through seven minutes of clock and ended up in a fourth and 15 with only 3 minutes, 45 seconds left in the game.
They were too far for a field goal and a punt was not going to change the field position greatly, so the Raiders opted to go for it.
But Justin Doughty broke up the pass intended for Moyer that would have been enough for the first down and effectively ended the game.
With one last chance, Hammonton was able to move 70 yards in 3 minutes.
The defense made a stop at the 2-yard line before Smith scored his third touchdown. Ocean City was unable to block the extra point and were down 23-22 with 26 seconds left in their season.
A squib kick gave Ocean City the ball near midfield, and they still had all three timeouts. Hay was the hero the previous week and Ocean City had a chance to make him a hero again.
On first down, they called a great screen pass but the receiver dropped the ball when he could have gained 20 or more yards. The remaining plays were long shots down the field hoping to catch a miracle. Sadly, the miracle never came and Ocean City’s season came to an end at 3-6.
After the game, Smith said he couldn’t be prouder of the effort his team put out there.
“These dudes just grinded it out every week versus that competition,” he said. “I’ve got nothing but respect for them.”
By WILLIAM TRUITT/For the Sentinel
