O.C. Drubs Absegami to Stay Undefeated

By TIM KELLY The beat goes on. As do the beatings. Ocean City’s swarming defense and fast-paced offense featuring three rushing touchdowns from Isaac Wilson helped the Red Raiders swamp Absegami 44-6 Friday in a West Jersey Football League Independence Division clash. It was the fourth straight dominating performance for Ocean City (4-0 overall, 3-0 division), which yielded its first points of the season but was never seriously threatened by the Braves (0-3) at Carey Stadium. The Raiders’ offensive line rotation of Drew Eget, Chris Armstrong, Jack Baker, Michael Rhodes, Brad Jamison and Zach Mazzitelli blew ’Gami off the ball all night, allowing Wilson plenty of running room. “Our line was doing such a great job making holes, I could walk into them. I could walk right in,” said Wilson, a 5-9, 180-pound senior. “I’ve been focusing on patience, waiting for the play to develop in front of me,” Wilson continued. “I wrote the word ‘patience’ on my arm to remind me.” Wilson scored on runs of 6, 2, and 3 yards, and quarterback Joe Repetti threw three TD passes, giving him 11 for the season, including two to Jake Schneider of 13 and 8 yards, and a 24-yard hookup to tight end Jamison. Despite the offensive production, which resulted in scores on the Raiders’ first four possessions, Wilson said the Raider defense “sets the tone for our team. The offense gets energized watching our defense put us in a position to do what we can do.” Ocean City Head Coach Kevin Smith said Wilson had his breakout game on Friday as a result of paying more attention to running the ball north and south. “Isaac is getting better every week,” Smith said. “He is doing a much better job of squaring his shoulders. He used to run to the edge a lot more. Since he’s been (running downhill) he has been much more effective.” Smith said Ocean City’s 4-0 start was the Raiders’ first since 1998, when they went on to win the South Jersey Group II championship. The sun sets over Carey Stadium as Ocean City rolls to another big win to remain undefeated. There’s still room for improvement, Smith said, as the team became somewhat sloppy after it rolled to a 37-0 lead late in the second quarter. Several foolish penalties and minor defensive lapses are areas he addressed with the team in the postgame huddle and will strive to clean up as the season moves forward. Just before halftime, ’Gami had its only real drive of the game, a six-play, 45-yard march capped by quarterback Ray Weed’s 16-yard TD run, the first score relinquished this season by the Red Raiders. Ocean City has now outscored its opponents 170-6 on the year. Ocean City’s defense once again accounted for points, as it has in all four games. Midway through the first quarter, Rhodes chased down a bad snap that went over Weed’s head and recovered it in the end zone to give O.C. a 16-0 lead. On the last play of the quarter, Brian Beckman picked off Weed and ran it back 25 yards, just missing a pick-6, but setting up Wilson’s third score of the night. Early in the third quarter, O.C. went on an eight-play, 55-yard drive with Wilson accounting for 36 of them on five carries, and Mazzitelli chipping in with several big runs along the way and Wilson’s plunge sealing the rout. Game Notes: Brendan McGonigle had another strong kicking game, going 6-for-6 on extra points. On the Raiders’ first TD, Repetti sprinted out to the right, drawing in several defenders and found a wide open Schneider for the score. The big play of the drive was a 22-yard hookup with Beckman, who initially caught the ball for about an eight-yard gain but fought off two would-be tacklers to gain about 16 more yards after the catch. Ocean City now prepares for its biggest test yet on the season, a road contest in Richland next week against always tough St. Augustine Prep. Ocean City's defense closes in on Absegami QB Ray Weed in the first quarter.