Veteran Ocean City football squad shuts down young Mainland team
By CLYDE HUGHES/Special to the Sentinel
OCEAN CITY – The scoreboard at the end of the game was stunning last Friday and the Ocean City Red Raiders kept it up well after the game for special emphasis: Ocean City 63, Mainland 0.
As far back as the West Jersey Football League records go, there has never been such a lopsided score in this heated, Jersey Shore cross-bay rivalry. One would have to go back to Mainland’s 56-7 victory over Ocean City in 2008 to find any score remotely similar.
The victory improved Ocean City’s record to 5-0 as the team hosts St. Joe’s for a South Jersey Bracket III semifinal game at 6 p.m. Friday. Mainland, 2-4, will be at home at 4 p.m. Friday against Atlantic City (1-4) as the Mustangs try to salvage a .500 season.
The 63 points was the most Ocean City had scored in its rivalry against Mainland since winning 35-28 all the way back in 2004. In short, the Red Raiders’ performance was nothing short of an offensive explosion.
“We came out hot today and didn’t want to leave any doubt who would win this football game, especially after last year in the first game,” said Ocean City senior quarterback Joe Repetti, referring to the Red Raiders’ regular season loss to Mainland last year. “We wanted to come out here.”
But there was another thing that stuck with the Ocean City seniors. Two years ago, the last time Mainland visited Carey Stadium, the Mustangs won on a field goal in the waning seconds. The Mainland players brought the large white “M” flag and placed it on the Ocean City emblem at midfield, angering the Red Raiders.
Without prompting, Repetti, who threw for two touchdowns and ran for two others, and senior wide receiver Jake Schneider, who caught one touchdown, brought up the incident with other seniors.
“They disrespected our field two years ago, so we were going to get our money’s worth tonight,” said Schneider, who caught another long pass that set up another Ocean City touchdown. “Everyone knew we were going to beat the crap of them. This fires us up about the playoffs. It’s all we’ve been thinking about.”
Repetti was equally as emphatic about why the senior-laden Red Raiders were so fired up Friday night.
“Two years ago, they planted a flag on this field,” Repetti said. “We weren’t going let it happen this year. We bounced back and took our field back.”
Ocean City coach Kevin Smith insisted, though, the lopsided final was not an effort to rub dirt in the wound of Mainland, but just how the game transpired. He pointed to Ocean City’s fourth quarter touchdown with the game well in hand where the Red Raiders went with second-team players the entire way.
“Honestly, I don’t think we did,” Kevin Smith said about the final points. “They went for it on a fourth down on their own 25. We’re running the ball with our younger, backup guys. You can’t take a knee with five minutes to go. That would be insulting to them.
“Mainland’s a young team. I know they’ve got a really good team coming. We’re a veteran team. It was a rivalry game, matching up an experienced team against a young team and we put it on them. That stuff evens out over time,” he continued.
On the other side of the football, Mainland coach Chuck Smith conceded his team never matched the emotion and intensity of the Red Raiders, despite it being the team’s biggest rivalry game.
“Usually we’re very up for this game but we came out flat,” Chuck Smith said. “I take responsibility for that. The one thing we didn’t want them to do is get out fast. They’ve gotten out to fast starts every single game. They did that to us today.
“They beat us in every single aspect of the game. They’re a very good football team. We just didn’t match their level coming out today, the effort,” Chuck Smith.
Ocean City removed all doubt in the first half, scoring on all five of their possessions and then blocked a punt just before halftime for an insurmountable 42-0 lead at the break.
Repetti scored on a 5-yard run for the Red Raiders’ first score, a 13-yard run in the second quarter with 8:05 before halftime and threw a 30-yard strike to Schneider at the 3:38 mark for another TD. Jake Inserra second O.C.’s second touchdown.
He also had a 21-yard touchdown pass to Brad Jamison, escaping a possible sack to find Jamison near the back of the end zone on a third-down play.
“Offensively, there’s always things to fix and always things you can improve on,” Kevin Smith said. “Obviously when you score like we did tonight, you have to be pretty happy with the result.”
Ocean City’s defense was equally dominating, surrendering just one first down to Mainland’s offense the entire game as Red Raider defenders made a living in the Mustangs’ backfield on each passing play.
Carl Wanek wrapped up the scoring in the first half when, grabbing a blocked Mainland punt with seconds to go before halftime, broke tackles and scrambled into the end zone.
“The defense has been outstanding all season along with special teams,” Repetti said. “We’re just binding together as a team and winning football games.”
Ocean City got a defensive touchdown when Sam Williams returned a Mainland interception 62 yards with a score at the 6:29 mark of the third quarter. Sophomore Jack Hoag added a 35-yard TD run with the running clock in effect in the final minute of the period.
Wanek wrapped up the scoring with a 7-yard run with 5:30 left in the game.
Chuck Smith said while the losing a rivalry game, particularly in this fashion, always hurts, he expects his team to bounce back.
“We have two games left and a chance to finish .500,” Chuck Smith said. “That’s goal right now, one game at a time. We’ll take a look at this and see if there’s anything we can pull from it. We’ll then move on to Atlantic City for next week.”
Mainland will finish out the season the following week at Oakcrest.