By TOM WILLIAMS

The Mainland Regional football team did some things during the fall that have not been done before at a Cape-Atlantic League school.

The Mustangs won 14 games. They were undefeated state champions. And, in the crucial NJSIAA playoff games, they dominated Millville, dominated Winslow Township and crushed Ramapo in the state final.

There were very talented players on the team (you can read the column about the season HERE) and a magical coaching staff. But the person who brought it all together was head coach Chuck Smith.

Smith was a successful player at Mainland in the 1980s, an assistant to Bob Coffey and head coach for six seasons at Oakcrest. When Coffey retired, he was hired as head coach at his alma mater. In eight seasons, he has had a trio of double-figure winning seasons, is currently 10th among active South Jersey coaches in career wins and second among active coaches in CAL wins.

But this year, the team he put together made him the choice for Cape-Atlantic Sportsperson of the Year.

Through the years, people have been recognized as CAL Sportspersons of the Year for many reasons. The list is quite diversified and the selections have been both for accomplishments during just one year or over a longer period of time.

There have been many coaches, including Atlantic City basketball coach Gene Allen, Oakcrest basketball coach Dave Lewis, Hammonton football coach Pete Lancetta, Ocean City girls basketball coach Pat Dougherty, Pleasantville basketball coach Ken Leary, St. Joseph football coach Paul Sacco, Ocean City soccer coach Mike Pellegrino, Wildwood Catholic basketball coach Dave Deweese, Absegami wrestling coach Gene Barber, Wildwood Catholic basketball coach Fran St. John, Holy Spirit football coach Bill Walsh, Ocean City basketball coach Dixie Howell, St. Augustine basketball coach Paul Rodio, Mainland football coach Bob Coffey, Ocean City girls basketball coach Paul Baruffi, Middle Township basketball coach Tom Feraco, Holy Spirit track coach Dave Pfeifer, Wildwood girls basketball coach Dave Troiano, Ocean City field hockey coach Trish LeFever, Sacred Heart basketball coach Jim Mogan, Ocean City tennis coach Phil Birnbaum, Millville field hockey coach Claudia McCarthy, Holy Spirit football coach Ed Byrnes, Atlantic City/Stockton basketball coach Joe Fussner, Ocean City football coach Gary Degenhardt and Bridgeton track coach Bob Cwik.

There have been administrators, like Frank Campo, Joe Clements, Paul LeFever, Nuncie Sacco, Tony Surace, Harry Ackerman and Mike Gatley.

There were people behind-the-scenes – for example, Yogi Hiltner, for his dedication to local sports on all levels; Boo Pergament and Father Ed Lyons, creators of the Seagull Classic; Bob and Rick Traa, for their sponsorship of the ground-breaking McDonald’s Game of the Week on cable television; John Pierantozzi, for his contributions as a coach and basketball official; Ernie Troiano, for his efforts creating and directing the Boardwalk Basketball Classic; both Jason Kaye of FantaSea Flagship Resort and Dave Talarico of Schoppy’s Inc. for the significant support they’ve given to CAL sports; Mike Gill, who took local sports radio to a higher level; Dave Catalana, for his efforts in creating the Shoot Down Cancer Classic; Matt Ulmer, for leading the way in live video streaming; and John Rodio for his progressive ideas about assigning basketball officials and for bringing back the Seagull Classic. Also, young Frankie LaSasso was recognized for how his courageous battle against cancer brought CAL people together.

But Chuck Smith guided a football team in 2023 that took CAL football to a new level. For dedicating his career to Cape-Atlantic League football and achieving ultimate success, Chuck Smith is the 2023 CAL Sportsperson of the Year.

With the calendar year over, it is always a good time to look back on the top CAL sports stories. Here are the 10 stories that seemed to generate the most interest among Cape-Atlantic League fans in 2023:

1. Mainland winning the state Group 4 football championship with a perfect 14-0 record.

2. The sudden death of Holy Spirit graduate and former NBA great Chris Ford.

3. Continued success of The Battle at the Beach, the high school football event produced by the West Jersey Football Coaches Association at Ocean City’s Carey Stadium. It has developed into the biggest regular season football showcase in New Jersey and, in 2023, featured a classic battle between two of the top 10 teams in the country – Florida’s IMG Academy and St. Joseph Prep of Philadelphia, that was telecast live on ESPN-2.

4. The first ever South Jersey boys basketball championship by Egg Harbor Township in Group 4.

5. South Jersey record-breaking performances by Millville’s Lotzeir Brooks in football and a spectacular All-American track season by Ocean City’s Sophia Curtis – both juniors.

6. The deaths of basketball guru Bob Hutchings, football coach Lou Paludi and iconic athletics director and basketball coach Nuncie Sacco..

7. Middle Township’s sweep of both the boys and girls South Jersey basketball championships in Group 2 and Ocean City’s sweep of the boys and girls South Jersey cross country titles in Group 3.

8. The new turf fields in Millville, Galloway Township and Mays Landing .

9. The retirement of Middle Township football coach Frank Riggitano after a career of 111 wins, a school record and ninth all-time in the CAL.

10. A South Jersey Group 3 girls basketball championship by Ocean City, coached by alumnus Stephanie Vanderslice Gaitley. She’s won more than 600 games at five different colleges but, as a player at OCHS, she had played in three South Jersey finals and lost all three.

Lets hope there will be more great memories coming up in 2024. There are lots of games left to play and we can all make this an even better year.