By TIM KELLY
Let the hype begin.
Now that the Ocean City High School football team has defeated Oakcrest, 34-7, in a West Jersey Football League Independence Division game at Falcon Stadium, the Red Raiders can focus on next Friday night’s showdown at Mainland.
The win put OC (6-1 overall, 4-0 in the Independence) atop the division while Mainland is a perfect 7-0 overall and 3-0 in the league going into the so-called “War at the Shore.”
The arch-rivalry game, important to both schools regardless of records, takes on heightened importance this year as the winner will take control of the division, enhance its playoff seedings and most importantly enjoy bragging rights for the next year.
But none of that would’ve mattered if the Raiders hadn’t taken care of business at Oakcrest, a place the Raiders have traditionally had a hard time.
Not so on Saturday, as OC jumped out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back.
Following Oakcrest’s 3-and-out on its first possession, a short and possibly deflected punt gave Ocean City excellent field position at the Falcon 28. Six plays later, including a 15-yard Joe Repetti-to-Jake Schneider hookup, Repetti connected on his 14th TD pass of the season and his fourth to tight end Brad Jamison, a six-yarder.
The point-after kick failed, but OC got the ball back with a short field again when junior defensive back Brady Rauner snared the first of his two interceptions to set the offense up at the Oakcrest 34.
Jaden Rogers was defending on the play and delivered a hard hit on the would-be Falcon receiver, popping the ball loose and in the air, where Rauner made a heads-up play and athletic catch to get the pick.
Earlier in the week, OC Coach Kevin Smith had named Rauner as the fourth co-captain for the game, in recognition of Rauner’s “good practice habits.”
Repetti and Brian Beckmann made Oakcrest pay for the turnover.
On a third-and-eight situation from the 31, Repetti lofted a pass to the back of the end zone where Beckmann laid out fully extended to make a spectacular diving touchdown grab.
Brian, normally the holder on extra points, had to sit the play out as he appeared to have the wind knocked out after landing on the ball after the touchdown. Brendan McGonigle booted the first of his four extra points to make it 13-0.
“I was very happy with how fast we started the game,” Smith said.
The trend continued after OC’s dominating defense forced another three-and-out, followed by 7-play drive highlighted by Issac Wilson’s 20-yard run and capped by Repetti’s one-yard plunge. He would later score on another run, a 7-yard jaunt in the third quarter.
“(Getting those) 20 first quarter points allowed us to play from ahead,” the rest of the game, Smith said, and also forced Oakcrest to the air.
As a result, Ocean City was able to tee off defensively on beleaguered Falcon QB Angel Casanova.
Earlier Casanova avoided the shutout, connecting with Sebastian Terrones on a 30-yard scoring pass in the second period.
“We weren’t at our best on defense in the first half,” Smith said. “Our fundamentals weren’t as sound as they could have been. But we played a really solid second half.”
While Ocean City shut down Oakcrest the rest of the way, Repetti’s touchdown run in the third closed out the scoring.
