Written by: Phoebe Prettyman
On a crisp fall night under the lights, the Ocean City Red Raiders played the Mainland Mustangs, a classic South Jersey rivalry. The Red Raiders set the tone of the game with some good defense early on. They proved that they were ready to defend anything that the Mainland Mustangs tried. The Raiders gained possession on their 43-yard line, thanks to a reception by Jake Schneider (Sr.). Jake has over 100 receptions which is 17 away from the CAL record. Joe Repetti (Sr.) got some good yardage on the outside right before he drove to score the first touchdown of the game. Brendan McGonigle (Jr.) added a successful extra point to make the score 7-0, with Ocean City in the lead.
Mainland played with a lot of side-to-side offense, but due to some incomplete passes and the Raider’s strong defense, they could not make it down the field before OC took possession. Jake Schneider (Sr.) had a great reception, his 102nd, and gave the raiders some good yardage. Jake Inserra (Sr.) made a run on the inside to make it to 1st & goal which was then followed by a touchdown. This was Inserra’s 7th of the year. He also leads the team in tackles. Brendan McGonigle (Jr.) added another point to the board making the score 14-0. The Raiders stayed steady on defense for the rest of the quarter, despite Mainland’s attempt to spread them.
Jake Schneider (Sr.) kept the momentum up with a double coverage reception from Joe Repetti (Sr.) early on in the second quarter. Shortly after, Repetti ran to the outside to the end zone as there was a flag thrown on the play, the first penalty of the game. After the penalty and two good sacks from Mainland, the Raiders were pushed back. However, that didn’t stop Ocean City as Joe Repetti (Sr.) threw a pass, avoiding a sack, to Brad Jamison (Sr.) for a touchdown. With the addition of a successful extra point by Brendan McGonigle (Jr.), the score was 21-0 with the Raiders in the lead.
Another great throw from Joe Repetti (Sr.) received by Jake Schneider (Sr.) at the 10-yard line prefaced a drive down the center that led to another touchdown by Joe Repetti (Sr.), his second of the game. With an extra point by Brendan McGonigle (Jr.), the score stood at 28-0, the Raiders in the lead. Ocean City’s defense stayed strong, with 5:45 left in the second quarter the Raiders had had 4 possessions and 4 touchdowns.
Another touchdown was scored due to a phenomenal pass from Joe Repetti (sr.) to Jake Schneider (Sr.) in the back of the end zone. With the addition of a extra point, the score was 35-0, with Ocean City in the lead. This was the 29th touchdown pass by Repetti, that gets him very close to the school the record, which is 30. In the last minute of the game, Charley Cossabone (Jr.) scooped up the ball and ran to score a 16-yard punt return touchdown. Brendan McGonigle (Jr.) added an extra point to make the score 42-0.
Mainland started off the third quarter with some more energy, holding Ocean City back a little bit. However, early on the Raiders gained some momentum with an interception by Sam Williams (Jr.), at the 43-yard line, who then ran down to score a touchdown. Brendan McGonigle (Jr.) added a point to make the score 49-0. Mainland pushed forward, however Red Raider Kyle Hendricks (Jr.) scooped up the ball and ran it down to the 35-yard line before he was pushed out-of-bounds. Riley Gunnels (So.) handed off to Jack Hoag (So.) who ran down the field to score a touchdown. Brendan McGonigle (Jr.) successfully kicked his 8th extra point of the game. With one minute left in the quarter, the score was 56-0, with Ocean City in the lead.
Ocean City made a good effort to gain some yardage in the beginning of the fourth quarter. Mainland held a sturdy defense and made the Raiders fight for their next touchdown. Riley Gunnels (So.) made a strong drive to the end zone to score his first varsity touchdown! Then Brendan McGonigle (Jr.) kicked a successful extra point which broke the record of most extra points in one game. The score stood 63-0, with Ocean City as the victors. The quarter ended with Ocean City showing some good coverage and high intensity to keep Mainland from making any major advances.
