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December 3, 2017
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December 4, 2017

OCHS fall teams could repeat strong seasons in 2018

The Ocean City girls cross country team celebrates winning the South Jersey Group III championship.

By TOM WILLIAMS

Winter sports begin this week at Ocean City High School.

The first basketball scrimmages are today against Shawnee, the swim teams begin their seasons tomorrow with important meets against Mainland and the wrestlers have a scrimmage at Lower Cape May on Saturday.

You can see a complete list of OCHS winter sports scrimmages and opening games at http://www.oceancitysports.com/OCDiary.html.

It looks like it will be another good winter for the Raiders. And the fall teams have set a high standard for this school year.

The girls soccer and girls cross country teams were conference and South Jersey champions. The boys soccer and boys cross country teams won conference titles, the soccer team reaching the South Jersey final and the runners qualifying for the state meet.

A quick glance at those teams would also indicate that lot more success could be ahead next fall.

The girls soccer team (19-3-1), for example, will lose Hannah Nathan and Haley Harper from this year’s championship team. But Faith Slimmer, who led the team in scoring and was 14th in South Jersey and sixth in the Cape-Atlantic League in goals, is just a freshman. Only Christine Jack, who scored 22 goals in 1997, scored more as an OCHS freshman. Paige Panico and Kelsey White are also freshmen. Delenay Lappin is a sophomore, Anna Devlin and Natalie Stinson are juniors and goalkeeper Abby Fenton, who tied a school record for shutouts in a season, is a sophomore. And do not forget Tori Rolls, the junior who broke her collarbone in the season’s first game after scoring 28 goals her first two seasons. Her return next year will make the Raiders even better for Coach Kelly Halliday (66-26-3 in five seasons). Lappin, Devlin, Slimmer and Fenton were named first team, all-conference.

Girls Soccer Leaders

Goals
21 – Faith Slimmer
7 – Delaney Lappin
6 – Hannah Nathan
6 – Paige Panico
6 – Natalie Stinson

Assists
8 – Paige Panico
8 – Faith Slimmer
5 – Anna Devlin
5 – Natalie Stinson
4 – Carly Reighard
4 – Kelsey White

The girls cross country team (8-0) captured the CAL American title ands won the South Jersey Group 3 Meet. Trish Henry (123-7 in 15 seasons) will lose Alexa Weber, one of the state’s top distance runners, along with Mickey Baker and Nicolette Brady to graduation. But freshman Alexa Palmieri made a strong debut this season. Sophomore Casey McLees, junior Brooke Farr and sophomore Marissa Guido are also experienced runners ready to step up next fall. Weber, Baker, McLees and Palmieri were all named first team, all-conference.

The boys soccer team (18-3-1) will lose Josiah Nistorenko, who had 23 assists this year, the CAL leader, second in South Jersey and sixth in the state. Adam King, Matt Zelinski, Bill Farnan, Sean Zellers and goalkeeper Garrett Vliet will also graduate. But juniors Hunter and Trevor Paone, Luke Varallo, Matt Brook, Anthony Inserra will all return for Aaron Bogushefsky (120-57-14 in nine seasons). Nistorenko, Zelinski, Sellers and Hunter Paone were first team, all-conference. Trevor Paone received all star honorable mention.

Boys Soccer Leaders

Goals
16 – Hunter Paone
11 – Luke Varallo
10 – Trevor Paone
9 – Matt Brook
6 – Anthony Inserra

Assists
23 – Josiah Nistorenko
12 – Trevor Paone
8 – Luke Varallo
6 – Hunter Paone
4 – Bill Farnan

Matt Purdue (91-1 in 10 seasons) has seen his team win 89 straight dual meets since 2008. He will lose Jesse Schmeizer and Korey Greene to graduation but junior Gavyn Fox, sophomores Anthony Conte and Luke Kramer and freshmen Steve Gooden and Tyler Greene are poised to take over the leadership. Schmeizer, Korey Greene, Conte and Fox were selected to the all-conference first team.

The field hockey team (14-8) did not extend the 20-year streak of conference championships, losing tough 2-1 decisions on the road to Mainland and conference champion Millville. But the Raiders played a very tough schedule that included some of the top teams in the state and competed. First-year coach Kelsey Mitchell will lose Shannon O’Reilly, who missed the last third of the season with an injury, to graduation, along with Haleigh Flukey, Lainie Allegretto, Sophia Ritzell and Hailey Stack. But junior Reese Bloomstead, who led the team in goals and assists, returns along with juniors Shannon DeCosta, Sophia Gresham and goalkeeper Maddie Kahn. Also back next fall will be sophomores Chloe Prettyman, Molly Reardon and Morgan Pizagno and freshman Tara McNally. Bloomstead and O’Reilly were named first team all-conference with Kahn and Flukey getting honorable mention.

Field Hockey Leaders

Goals
16 – Reese Bloomstead
15 – Shannon O’Reilly
13 – Haleigh Flukey
11 – Chloe Prettyman
6 – Lainie Allegretto
6 – Sophia Gresham
6 – Molly Reardon

Assists
15 – Reese Bloomstead
10 – Chloe Prettyman
8 – Shannon O’Reilly
6 – Haleigh Flukey
5 – Molly Reardon

The girls tennis team (12-9) reached the South Jersey Group 3 semifinals where the Raiders lost to Hammonton, 3-2. Samantha DiMatteo (114-59 in nine seasons) will lose seniors Libby Trofa and Maddie Holmes from her singles lineup and doubles player Rose Malfitano. But freshman singles player Jordan Moyer and juniors Rosalie Graham and Gina Schmid and sophomore Kate Carter will be back in the lineup next year. Trofa was named first team, all-conference.

Look for a review of the OCHS football season later this week on Coast Sports Today.