By TOM WILLIAMS

2022 was a pretty good year and Ocean City High School’s sports teams made the best of it.

The coaches play a big role in this success, especially because the strength of the programs continues even after graduation losses. But you have to have good athletes to put together a success story like this.

And Ocean City High School had them again in 2022.

There were many athletes who brought success to OCHS sports since 2022 began. But the purpose here is to recognize two of them – one male and one female – as the best of the year. It is never an easy choice but two have emerged.

Riley Gunnels had a terrific football career. This fall, he threw for 1,578 yards and nine touchdowns. He finished his career with over 3,000 passing yards, joining Andrew Donoghue and Al Genz as the only OCHS quarterbacks to reach that level. Seven times this fall he threw for 100 or more yards in a game, accomplishing that 13 times in his career.

One of his highlights came on Sept. 1st against rival Mainland when he completed 20 of 34 passes for 340 yards and a pair of touchdowns in a 21-20 win over Mainland. It was the Mustangs only loss until the NJSIAA state semifinal.

In addition to those football numbers, Gunnels was part of the champion OCHS baseball team in the spring, scoring 12 times and driving home 10 runs.

Tori Vliet has been one of South Jersey’s top soccer goalies for three years. The Raiders won 47 games, lost just one and had six ties in those three seasons. She was in goal for 34 shutouts during that time.

One of her highlights came in mid October when, in back-to-back games, she made a total of 23 saves in shutouts of Washington Township and Shawnee.

In addition to her excellence in soccer, Vliet has been a major contributor to the girls basketball team’s five-game winning streak that has propelled them into the South Jersey Top 25. She is a rebounding force inside but also the team’s second leading scorer, capable of stepping away to nail a three-pointer when needed.

Riley Gunnels and Tori Vliet have had impressive high school careers through 2022. But both will continue those careers into 2023 until their graduations in June. For their success and as representatives of all the other outstanding OCHS athletes, they are the Ocean City High School Athletes of the Year for 2022.

Next week – the 60th annual Ocean City Sportspersons of the Year.