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By CRAIG D. SCHENCK/Sentinel staff
OCEAN CITY — Red Raiders running back Jacob Wilson scored two touchdowns on the ground and quarterback Riley Gunnels added another, but it was Ocean City’s defense that really shined in the 21-0 victory over the Vineland Fighting Clan on Friday, Aug. 27, at Carey Stadium.
“We made a lot of mistakes on offense and didn’t execute the way we want to but the defense bailed us out,” head coach Kevin Smith said. “We started with good field position, so that helped us when we were trying to find our rhythm.”
The game was the main event during the first day of the Battle at the Beach, an inaugural three-day event hosted by the West Jersey Football League Coaches Association at the beachfront field.
Ocean City’s swarming defense forced multiple three-and-outs while frequently getting to the ball carrier in the backfield. Defensive end Mike Gray had an early interception to end a drive in the Raiders’ half of the field, extinguishing the Clan’s best chance of scoring all evening.
“I’m super, super proud of the effort. We’ve got a great, great group of kids. They work extremely hard all week and they prepare themselves for success on game night on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday,” defensive coordinator Sean Matthews said.
Gunnels was more effective on the ground than through the air but made no major mistakes. He had a 16-yard run and a 22-yard completion but suffered several sacks, including one for a loss of 14 yards.
Miscues and mistakes were common on both sides of the ball in the season-opener for both teams, with multiple false start and encroachment infractions. Vineland’s center had several bad snaps, including one for a loss of 20 yards, and its punting was poor all night.
Ocean City won the coin toss and elected to kick off. Vineland senior Braylon Blakely toted the ball out to the 25-yard line, where the Clan set up to start the game on a humid night with a welcome light breeze.
Quarterback Daniel Russo moved the ball 7 yards on a couple of runs before handing off to senior Ethan Evans on 3rd-and-3. Evans picked up just 2 but on 4th-and-1, Ocean City jumped offside, giving the Clan a first down at their own 39-yard line. A bad snap moved Vineland back 3 yards and on the next play Gray snatched the ball out of the air just a couple of yards from the hand of Russo and went rumbling back the other way.
The Red Raiders took over in good field position at Vineland’s 22-yard line and immediately went to work on the ground. Wilson carried the ball twice for 13 yards and Sean Mazzitelli picked up 2 more before the drive stalled. Gunnels was sacked for a 2-yard loss and on 3rd-and-goal threw into the end zone, where the receiver took his eye off the ball and dropped the pass. Place kicker Brendan McGonigle’s 27-yard field goal attempt missed.
Vineland started its next possession from its own 20-yard line. A 4-yard completion moved the Clan forward but a snap over the head of Russo moved them back for a net of -16 yards on the drive.
A short punt from the 4-yard line set up the Red Raiders at the opposition’s 36-yard line as time was winding down on the first quarter.
Gunnels hit Kyle Hendricks for 7 yards before Wilson took over the show, running for 25 yards on five carries, including a 3-yard touchdown to make the score 6-0. McGonigle’s kick made it 7-0.
“It feels amazing, you can’t make it up,” Wilson said. “I think we have a good squad this year and we’re going to go far so I’m really excited.”
Following a touchback, the Clan began from their 20-yard line but managed just 7 yards before being forced to punt again.
Ocean City failed to pick up a first down on its next possession but did manage to pin the Clan down on its own 2-yard line via a quality punt by McGonigle.
Assisted by a personal foul call, the Clan mounted its longest drive of the game on the ensuing possession. Vineland picked up just its second first down of the game on runs by Evans and Anthony Arthur to move the ball out to the 15-yard line. Russo had his longest play of the game, picking up 16 on the ground to set the Clan up at their own 31-yard line with another first down.
A false start penalty moved Vineland back 5 yards and a high snap another 3. On 3rd-and-13, Russo threw another interception, this one negated by a personal foul penalty on Ocean City.
The Clan had a 1st-and-10 at their own 44-yard line down 7-0. However, the Red Raider defense held strong, stuffing Blakely after a 2-yard gain before a holding penalty backed Vineland up to its own 36. On 3rd-and-18, Michael Constantino dropped Russo in his tracks, forcing the punt.
Both teams traded 3-and-outs to end the half.
Ocean City took control of the game in the next quarter, forcing two quick punts and putting 14 more points on the board to ice the game.
The Red Raiders’ second scoring drive of the night started from Vineland’s 42-yard line. Mazzitelli and Gunnels each picked up 16 yards on the ground before Wilson took it the rest of the way to pay dirt, putting Ocean City up 14-0 following the extra point.
“This is my last season opener so it was amazing,” Wilson said of scoring two touchdowns. “We brought in a new group of guys but I think we have the same talent as last year. We’ve got the coaches and the effort and we do the right things: weight room, we eat right. So it feels good to win. I feel like we deserve it, we’ve been working hard all summer.”
On their next drive, the Red Raiders again started in the Clan’s half of the field. A face mask penalty set Ocean City up 1st-and-10 from the 32. From there, Gunnels threw his longest completion of the game, hitting Jack Hoag for 22 yards down the right sideline. Mazzitelli picked up 2 before Gunnels punched it in for the touchdown. McGonigle completed the scoring with his third extra point.
Wilson has his longest run of the night, a 49-yard scamper down to Vineland’s 27-yard line.
“I was thinking ‘let me angle it to the pylon and get as many yards as I can.’ Then I tucked the ball up in case someone was behind me,” he said.
Matthews said the team returned six of the 11 starters from last year’s team — Gray, Sam Williams, Charley Cossaboone, Tommy Schutta and Sean and Zack Mazzitelli — and the veterans helped prepare the team for the game.
“We knew it was going to be a dog fight with Vineland. They are a very, very physical team, a tough team,” Matthews said. “Our kids did a phenomenal job.”
He said there is no time for celebrating.
“We’re playing another physical, grind-it-out, want-to-run-the-ball-right-at-you team in Hammonton on Thursday. It’s a short week so we’re going to have to forget about this win quickly and get right back into practice,” Matthews said.
The Red Raiders host Hammonton at 6 p.m. Thursday at Carey Stadium.