Brandon Pokrass breaks into the open field to gain yardage last week against Washington Township.
By Tim Kelly
The cheering had barely stopped after the Nov. 8 victory at Carey Stadium when Ocean City High School football Head Coach Kevin Smith gathered the troops.
“Great team win,” Smith told the squad, after their dominating 35-0 defeat of Washington Township in a state playoff consolation game. “But we still have one more big one left.”
Smith was referring to the Red Raiders’ traditional Thanksgiving Day contest against the Pleasantville Greyhounds. The game, at Pleasantville, kicks off Thursday at 10 a.m.
With two full weeks in between games, the Pleasantville contest feels like a “bowl game,” heightened even further by the game’s high stakes.
Ocean City (4-5 overall, 3-2 in the West Jersey Football League’s Independence Division) can finish with a non-losing record with a win, which would be fitting for a squad in which three of its losses easily could have gone the other way.
“These kids always came back and were always ready to play, even following some really tough losses,” Smith said after the Washington Township game. “I feel great for them, especially the seniors, to go off with a complete effort in all phases of the game in their last game at home.”
The Raiders showed a lot of heart in all of their losses, including an overtime defeat against Oakcrest, a last second defeat on a 41-yard field goal against archrival Mainland, a loss at Triton after leading in the fourth quarter, and, the most excruciating defeat of all, falling one yard short and one play shy of knocking off heavily-favored Highland in the playoffs’ first round.
It was the Raiders’ second straight year of earning a playoff appearance following nearly a decade of being on the outside looking in. With the jayvee and frosh teams enjoying winning seasons, the future looks bright for the program.
On Nov. 8, all of the season’s bitter disappointments seemed to be washed away in their dominating performance over Washington Township. 
Travis Stoerrie (1) and Will Drain combine to bring down a Washington Township ballcarrier. The Raiders’ defense posted its second shutout of the season.
“We knew we were better than (the won-loss record) showed,” said senior wideout-defensive back Brandon Lashley, who scored three offensive touchdowns and ran back an interception a school record 103 yards for a fourth score against Washington Township.
“My teammates and my blockers were there all night,” Lashley said.
In his weekly e-mail to friends of the program, Smith praised his players as well as the fans who supported the Raiders in loyal fashion, despite some tough losses.
“Carey Stadium rocked this season,” Smith said, “Every game was exciting and – for good or bad — seemed to produce something memorable.”
In addition to Lashley’s interception return and Ocean City’s amazing 80-yard game tying drive late in the fourth quarter against Mainland and the subsequent walk-off field goal, he mentioned two Ian Aungst-to-Lashley TD passes in the last six seconds of the half against Bridgeton; and a school record for passes and pass completions by Aungst versus St. Augustine
“We didn't win them all but the games were never boring,” Smith said.
Things won’t get any easier moving forward. The Red Raiders enjoyed a long weekend off after the Washington Township game, but they will be facing an explosive Pleasantville squad (7-3) that crushed Cedar Creek 57-0 in the opening round of the Group II playoffs.
The ’Hounds then traveled to Haddonfield last Saturday in the tournament semifinals. There, Pleasantville lost a hard-fought 28-6 verdict.
Thus, both teams have strong incentive in addition to the traditional rivalry. The Raiders and Greyhounds will be gunning for a big win to end the season, and their seniors’ high school careers on a winning note.
Brandon Pokrass breaks into the open field to gain yardage against Washington Township.
