EGG HARBOR CITY – The Red Raiders football team took down reigning Group III champs Cedar Creek High School on the road Saturday afternoon, Sept. 10.
Ocean City dominated from the start defensively, picking off three passes, and made enough plays on offense to lock down the 21-7 win, improving to 2-1 on the season.
“These are the kind of grind-it-out wins you’ve got to have if you’re going to be successful down the road,” head coach Kevin Smith said. “I think the last two weeks we’ve shown a lot of character in being able to close games out. Last year we had 12 blowout wins and that didn’t really help us. We got to Millville (in the playoffs) and it wasn’t going our way and we didn’t know how to handle it. So I think already this year we’ve shown that we can keep our nose in there when it’s tough.”
The Raider attack was in sync early as quarterback Riley Gunnels connected with Jon Moyer and Jack Hoag for first-down receptions and halfback Duke Guenther broke free on a 35-yard run.
Hoag took the next snap 19 yards for a Raider lead less than two minutes in.
“We knew coming in they were defending state champs,” Raider Roy Salugta said, “and we knew it was a big game no matter what. Whether it was the hot weather, whether it was a night game, anything. We just had to step to it and figure it out, no matter how nervous you might be. We have to play for the man next to us.”
Next it was the Pirates’ turn to show off their running attack and quarterback Billy Smith broke free for a long gain into Raider territory, but a botched snap and three straight incompletions forced by the Raiders foiled the opportunity and led to a turnover on downs.
Ocean City’s next series was shut down on a third-down sack after penalties pushed them backwards.
“We hurt ourselves on offense with some penalties,” Smith said. “We had some missed assignments. Then on defense I thought our tackling was a little poor. But the great thing about today is I never felt like we were in a bad spot. The kids were executing, they were unfazed. (Nick) Layton got hurt, (Ricky) Wetzel and Hoag went out with cramps, and whoever we put in was just ready to go. It was really a ‘next man up’ mentality.”
Gunnels has played better than his numbers may look this year as he’s often been under pressure.
“They’re just getting better every week,” Smith said. “There are no seniors on the O-line. Four of those five kids had never played a varsity game before the season. Since Neshaminy they’ve gotten better each week.”
“You can’t thank him enough,” Salugta said of Gunnels. “I don’t get too many carries, but when he asks me to block I block my butt off for him to make sure no one touches him. He’s a scholarship player and he’s playing great this year.”
Mekhi Harvey jump-started the Pirate offense with a long gainer on a screen pass.
Three plays later Smith attempted a long pass down the right side, but under-threw it for a jump ball. Hoag came down with it.
“He’s only playing his third varsity game,” Smith said of Harvey, “and we thought if we mixed our coverages, got a little pressure on him, made him make tough decisions and good throws, it’s hard in your third varsity game. And I thought our coverage was really good; they didn’t have a lot of receivers running open. He had to put some balls in tight windows.”
Pinned deep, the Raiders wound up punting, then flew to the ball on defense to shut down the Pirates in three plays.
“Looking at it, offensively we came out and scored. We got our confidence going,” Salugta said. “We let them get one, but we got right back at it on defense. Everyone on the sideline was rowdy, all of it positive.”
Salugta sniffed out a swing pass to force a loss on the play.
“He’s a tough kid,” Smith said. “He’s such a program kid; he does everything the right way. He’s the kind of kid the whole team loves. They rally behind him. You just want guys like Roy on your team.”
But again, the Raiders went three and out.
Midway through the second quarter, Ocean City had outplayed their opponent but held just a seven-point lead to show for it.
A 28-yard punt return set up the Pirates at midfield.
Smith’s mobility proved dangerous again as he scrambled into the red zone.
A rare successful pass play moved them even closer and Smith ran it in himself to tie it up at 7 with 1:04 left in the half.
The Raiders got it back with little time left and nearly turned it over, but a pass interference penalty negated the turnover and gave Ocean City 15 yards.
Shortly after Gunnels hit Pat Lonergan for a deep ball for the third straight week, a 33-yarder with a defender draped all over him.
Two plays later, Gunnels threw a dime across his body to Hoag in the end zone for a massive score just before the half.
“I wouldn’t want to cover Jack one-on-one,” Smith said. “He’d embarrass me. He just runs such good routes and he’s so reliable. We just know every week those two guys are going to make plays.”
With barely any time on the clock, the Pirates got a huge kickoff return to put them in good position. When the quarterback made the final throw of the half, as the clock hit 00:00, Wetzel leapt high to knock down a potential TD pass.
For nearly the entire second half, the teams battled to a draw before Salugta made the play that nailed down the win.
The Pirates had nearly tied the game, but Wetzel picked off another pass at the goal line in the third quarter.
“It’s all about momentum, honestly,” Salugta said. “A game like this, whoever is hanging their head it’s going to show. That’s the way the ball swings.”
The heat and the physicality took its toll as the game wore on, as Raider after Raider went down with cramps and injuries.
“We have seven underclassmen on both sides of the ball starting,” Smith said. “Then we had a bunch of young guys playing today because guys went down. The experience is phenomenal for them. I’m just really proud the level of play didn’t drop when we had to bring some of those bench guys in.”
“Really we just got after it,” Salugta said. “You want to hit them hard and finish the game.”
With the game hanging in the balance at 14-7 near the midway point of the fourth quarter, Salugta jumped a Pirate pass in the flat and took the interception 54 yards the other way for a 21-7 lead that would hold.
“Really, it was slow coming out,” Salugta said. “I saw the quarterback flip his shoulders really fast and I just under-cut it. He was just sluggish on it.”
The Ocean City run game and defense took them the rest of the way.
“This week in practice we picked up chemistry,” Salugta said. “Everyone started to understand, having more fun in practice. Energy picks up, the plays start coming.”
Salugta also credits his defensive coaches.
“I can’t even explain it,” Salugta said. “(Frank) LaSasso is all energy every day, he riles up everybody. I love him to death; he makes me better every day.”
The Raiders had every excuse to have an off day and instead rose to the occasion.
“Every day it’s the Ocean City way in practice,” Salugta said. “On the field, off the field, you can’t ask for more.”
Ocean City to host Delsea
They’ll look to make it three wins in a row at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16, back home in Carey Stadium against Delsea.
By KYLE McCRANE/Sentinel Sports