2017 RAIDER REVIEW: 55th Annual Sportsperson of the Year – Kevin Smith

The 55^th annual Ocean City Sportsperson of the Year is being announced today on Coast Sports Today, the first time that the announcement has debuted online.

It all started in the Sentinel-Ledger in 1963 and was later continued in the Ocean City Gazette. But this year it all moves into the communications atmosphere of the 21^st century.

A lot of different people have been selected Ocean City’s Sportsperson of the Year.

The athletes have included Brett Johnson, Chad Severs, Devon Grisbaum, Kevin Sinclair, Sean Mooney and Pat Lynch.

There have been championship coaches – like Dixie Howell, Craig Mensinger, Pat Dougherty, Mike Naples, Mike Pellegrino, Paul Baruffi, Matt Purdue, Trish LeFever and John Bruno.

Some were saluted for a lifetime of work – like Dick Grimes, Walt Tucker, Larry Blohm, Drew Breckenridge and Rich Tolson.

Others largely for their support of youth programs – like Joe Fagan, Greg Donahue, Jean Campbell, Naz Costanza and Bob French.

It is also special when successful athletes return to help other young athletes reach their potential. Ocean City has enjoyed many – Cory Terry, Fenton Carey, Bill Nickles, Trish Henry, Brittany Sedberry, Kristie Fenton, Wendy Moyle, Lisa Rumer and Aaron Bogushefsky, to name a few.

They are all listed below.

This year another coach joins the group.

Kevin Smith has been part of OCHS football for decades, the last seven years as head coach. He contributed from the sidelines and practice field to some of the highly successful teams on the 1990s and 2000s.

As head coach he has developed a quality coaching staff and a support group of parents and alumni who make the program far more valuable to the players within it than just how many games they won.

But the winning has been coming.

The 2017 Raiders qualified for the NJSIAA playoffs for the first time in nine years. The program has had back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 2001. Each of the last three seasons the team has won more games than the previous year.

Smith and his staff have kept the OCHS past alive, making the young players aware of the accomplishments of those who came before and therefore helping them create goals. They have designed an atmosphere of confidence and satisfaction.

Kevin Smith is the 2017 Ocean City Sportsperson of the Year. And, in its 55-year history, he is the first to have graduated from Mainland Regional High School.

As we put up our new calendars, it is always a good time to look back on the top local sports stories of the previous year. As is our custom, here are the 10 sports stories that seemed to generate the most interest throughout Ocean City in 2017:

1. Chris Lentz is found not guilty.
2. The tragic injury to all star baseball player Matt Fumo followed by his steady and remarkable recovery process.
3. The retirement of coaches Craig Mensinger, Cory Terry and Steve Warrington. Between them their teams won 529 times in their careers and won 10 South Jersey championships in the last eight years.
4. A South Jersey championship by the very young girls soccer team, despite losing leading scorer Tori Rolls for the entire season.
5. A South Jersey championship, overall Cape-Atlantic League title, return to the state final and school record 30-win season by the OCHS girls basketball team.
6. South Jersey championships by the girls cross country and girls swimming teams.
7. Another undefeated CAL championship by the boys cross country team, stretching its dual meet win streak to 89.
8. A 1,000-point basketball career for Luciano Lubrano and a spot in the CAL Tournament for the Raider boys a second straight year.
9. A return to the NJSIAA playoffs by the football team and the individual accomplishments of Harry Pfeifle, Liam Bergman and Issac Robertson.
10. Record-setting power numbers by Keani Hindle in softball, setting school marks for home runs and RBIs in a season and career home runs.

In addition to those stories, there were four moments in 2017 that will always be remembered by those who witnessed them – the ridiculous shot from 35 feet away by Luke Varallo with less than a second left to beat Cumberland, the penalty kick by Delaney Lappin to win a shootout in the South Jersey girls soccer final, the perfectly executed hook-and-lateral play from Pfeifle to Shallcross to Robertson in the playoff game with Delsea and the final play of the Thanksgiving Day football game with Pleasantville when the Raiders stopped a two-point conversion with no time left to preserve a two-point win.

Let’s hope 2018 provides as many great memories.

OCEAN CITY SPORTSPERSONS OF THE YEAR
2017    KEVIN SMITH
2016    SEAN MOONEY
2015    KRISTIE MILLER FENTON/WENDY BURMAN MOYLE/LISA RUMER
2014    DEVON GRISBAUM
2013    AARON BOGUSHEFSKY
2012    CORY PICKETTS TERRY
2011    MILES SCHOEDLER
2010    MATT PURDUE
2009    CRAIG MENSINGER
2008    BRETT JOHNSON
2007    DICK GRIMES
2006    PAUL BARUFFI
2005    BRITTANY SEDBERRY
2004    WALT TUCKER
2003    TRISH HOPSON HENRY
2002    LARRY BLOHM
2001    MIKE PELLEGRINO
2000    CHAD SEVERS
1999    JOHN BRUNO
1998    LEO CHASE
1997    GARY DEGENHARDT
1996    KEVIN SINCLAIR
1995    BOB MARTIN
1994    DREW BRECKENRIDGE
1993    LLOYD HAYES
1992    JOE FAGAN
1991    PAUL LeFEVER
1990    PAT LYNCH
1989    TRISH COWHEY LeFEVER
1988    RICH TOLSON
1987    MARYJO DOUGHERTY
1986    ROLAND WATSON
1985    WAYNE COLMAN
1984    MIKE NAPLES
1983    GREG DONAHUE
1982    BILL MORELAND
1981    BILL NICKLES
1980    BUD RINCK
1979    ED WOOLLEY
1978    MIKE ALLEGRETTO
1977    NAZ COSTANZA
1976    FRED HAACK
1975    PHIL BIRNBAUM
1974    PAT DOUGHERTY
1973    JEAN CAMPBELL/EDDIE RUMER
1972    JACK BOYD/MIKE SLAVESKI
1971    JACK NEALL, JR.
1970    HARRY VANDERSLICE, SR.
1969    BILL GANS
1968    JOHN CERVINO
1967    FENTON CAREY, SR.
1966    CHET WIMBERG
1965    DON PILEGGI
1964    DIXIE HOWELL
1963    BOB FRENCH

SPORTSPERSONS OF THE DECADE
2000s   PAUL BARUFFI
1990s   PAUL LeFEVER
1980s   MIKE ALLEGRETTO
1970s   HARRY VANDERSLICE, SR.
1960s   RICHARD B. FOX, JR.

SPORTSPERSONS OF THE 20th CENTURY
FENTON CAREY/DIXIE HOWELL