By TOM WILLIAMS

Ocean City High School finished second to Mainland for the 2023-24 Ed Byrnes Memorial All-Sports Award. The award is displayed by the school that wins the most Cape-Atlantic League and NJSIAA championships.

Though they fell short in winning the Byrnes Award, OCHS teams were the best in Cape May County, the best in girls sports and tied for the best in fall sports. You can see more details about the Byrnes Award HERE.

Ocean City senior Sophia Curtis, a track All-American headed to Virginia Tech, was the winner of the annual Billy Schoppy Award, presented to the outstanding athlete in the Cape-Atlantic League’s senior class. Curtis graduates with four school records and six state championships. Mainland’s Cohen Cook was the male winner of the Billy Schoppy Award.

Four other OCHS seniors were among the 24 finalists (12 boys, 12 girls) for the Billy Schoppy Memorial Awards. Pat Grimley, Nick Layton and Jon Moyer were finalists for the boys award and McKenna Chisholm was a finalist for the girls award.

More about the Billy Schoppy Award is available HERE.

In addition to winning championships, Ocean City athletes and coaches set or tied 31 school records in 2023-24. The composite won-loss record of the 22 varsity teams was 267-119-2, a .668 winning percentage.

Here is a sport-by-sport summary of the last 10 months.

Football (3-7): Jon Moyer, Nick Layton, Duke Guenther and Clifford Dirkes were CAL all stars and were also selected on the Independence Division All Stars in the West Jersey Football League. Kevin Smith’s Raiders played a ridiculous schedule that included three NJSIAA sectional champions and three others who reached sectional finals. They played Pleasantville in the opening game of the season, the first time they met the Greyhounds other then at the end of the season in more than 75 years. The two teams are not scheduled to play in 2024. The game results, season stats and video links are HERE. The West Jersey Football League standings, South Jersey rankings, all star teams and stat leaders at CAL schools are all available HERE.

Boys Cross Country (9-0): Matt Purdue coached his 13th undefeated team in his 16 seasons, improving his career record to 144-3, a .980 winning percentage that is likely the best by any CAL coach in any sport. Senior Matt Hoffman won the county meet by more than 20 seconds, finished first in the CAL Meet and second in the South Jersey Meet, leading OCHS to a team victory. It is encouraging that the next seven OCHS runners after Hoffman were all underclassmen. The Raiders won the county meet for the 39th time in its 46 years and were South Jersey champs for the 9th time.

Hoffman, who is headed to St. Joseph’s University, joined junior Ethan Buck, junior Zach Hutchinson, junior Kal Heyman and sophomore Erik Preisner on the CAL all star team. The cross country season log and school records are HERE.

Girls Cross Country (9-0): Junior Maeve Smith won the county meet by almost a minute, followed by six more Raiders in the top eight. She finished second in the CAL Meet and won the South Jersey Meet, leading the Raiders to a team victory, the school’s 12th South Jersey title. Smith was third in the state meet. Smith and junior Chloe Care were CAL all stars. OCHS won the county meet for the 35th time in its 38 seasons. Their cross country season log and school records are HERE.

This marked the fourth time in school history that both OCHS cross country teams were South Jersey champions the same year.

Field Hockey (9-7-1): The Raiders lost the CAL Tournament final to Hammonton. They couldn’t beat the Blue Devils – losing to them three times, all three by a single goal. In fact, six of their seven losses were by one goal, including to Cherry Hill West in the NJSIAA Group 3 Tournament. Senior Julia Neff led the scoring with 11 goals and senior Mia Pancoast added nine. Neff, junior Ella Jefferson and senior Taylor Amstutz were CAL all stars. The field hockey season log and school records are HERE.

Boys Soccer (14-7): A very competitive Ocean City finished second to St. Augustine in the American Conference, lost to Washington Township in the semifinals of the South Jersey Coaches Tournament and to Shawnee in the Group 3 semifinals. Senior Wayne Hudak led the team with 22 goals. Hudak and senior Kai Lindsay were CAL all stars. Coach Aaron Bogushefsky is now eight wins short of 200, which would make him the 18th coach in OCHS history and second soccer coach to reach that level. The boys soccer season log, stats and school records are HERE.

Girls Soccer (21-2): These Raiders won the American Conference and the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament. They started the season with 16 straight wins before losing to Sterling, 3-2, in the semifinals of the South Jersey Coaches Tournament. Their other loss was also 3-2 – in overtime – to Shawnee in the South Jersey Group 3 championship game. Coach Lisa Cuneo lifted her four-year record to 68-3-6 (a .958 winning percentage) before announcing she would not return as head coach. Junior Naomi Nnewihe led the team with 28 goals and senior McKenna Chisholm, chosen Player of the Year by The Press of Atlantic City, added 25. Nnewihe and Chisholm were joined on the CAL All Star Team by senior Ashley Rhodes. The girls soccer season log, stats and school records are HERE.

Girls Tennis (8-9): The Raiders defeated Lacey Township in the first round of Group 3 but lost to Mainland in the quarterfinals. Junior Catherine Stempin was a CAL all star. The girls tennis season log and school records are HERE.

Girls Volleyball (6-15): In their first varsity season, Jill Garza’s girls boasted wins over Absegami and Middle Township and put together a three-game win streak in the middle of the season. They lost to Pinelands in he NJSIAA Tournament. Junior Ella Catton led the team with 108 kills and 101 digs. Senior Rebekah Long had 107 assists and senior Sofia Rebecchi had 118 service points and 55 aces. All, of course, are school records. Catton received honorable mention on the CAL all star team. The girls volleyball season log is HERE.

Boys Basketball (26-4): These Raiders set a new school record for wins in a season plus team records for field goal shooting, free throw shooting and assists. Senior Kori Segich set new records for three-point and free throw accuracy and senior Dylan Schlatter set records for assists in a game, season and career. The Raiders won their first seven games then, after a loss to CAL champion Middle Township, won 15 of their next 16 games. They used furious rallies to come from behind to defeat St. Augustine and Cherry Hill West and to force the South Jersey championship game with Mainland to three overtimes. Segich finished with 1,206 career points (8th best at OCHS all-time) and his 718 this season was second only to Derrick Yeoman’s 766 in 1991. Segich and Schlatter (who are both headed to Widener University) were American Division all stars and senior Charlie LaBarre won the Boo Pergament Award as the CAL’s most improved. The season log, stats, video links and school records are HERE. Final CAL standings, stat leaders and rankings are HERE.

Girls Basketball (7-18): With their fourth head coach in four seasons, the Raiders were looking for stability and Trish Henry put them on that track. Facing a very tough schedule, the Raiders advanced to the second round of the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament and qualified for the NJSIAA Group 3 Tournament. Henry put together an impressive staff that included veterans Sue Repetti, George McNally and Jay Connell. Junior Madelyn Adamson led the team with 10 points per game and also led in assists. Adamson, who received honorable mention on the CAL all star team, will enter her senior year with 582 points, on track to finish among the top 20 scorers in OCHS history. Senior McKenna Chisholm was one of the CAL’s top rebounders and led the team in steals. The season log, stats, video links and school records are HERE. Final CAL standings, stat leaders and rankings are HERE.

Boys Swimming (7-6): The team defeated Toms River South in the opening round of the NJSIAA Class B Tournament before losing to Mainland in the second round. The win over South was the 11th career tournament win by Coach Shane McGrath, a new high for an OCHS swim coach. Junior Tom Armstrong set a new school record in the 100 meter backstroke. The season log and school records are HERE.

Girls Swimming (8-4): Ian Keyser’s girls got off to a slow start but won six straight meets entering the NJSIAA Class B Tournament, where they lost to Shawnee, the eventual South Jersey champion. Keyser increased his school record win total to 47 in six seasons. Junior Abby Hays set a new school record in the 100 meter breaststroke and was an all star. The season log and school records are HERE.

Wrestling (17-4): The OCHS wrestlers had arguably the best season in school history. In addition to the record-breaking won-lost mark in dual matches, they reached the South Jersey final in Group 3. Their two wins in that tournament equaled the total number of tournament wins in the history of the OCHS program. Then they won the District 32 team championship for the second time in school history. The other was in 1988. And five Raiders were district champions – freshman Graham Tolson (120 pounds), junior Jace Watson (150), junior Tom Grimley (157), senior Nick Layton (175) and junior Clifford Dirkes (285). That is a new record for OCHS. The Raiders had four in 1996 (Brendan Gheen, Walt Dull, Jess Compagnola & Vito Constantine) and four in 1988 (Fred Latella, Pat Lynch, Dave Law & Tim Gallagher). Dirkes went on to win the Region 8 championship, the first for an OCHS wrestler since Cooper Gallagher in 2014. Dirkes and Layton each finished the season with 35 wins, tied for fourth best all-time at OCHS with Lynch. Dan Calhoun was named District 32 Coach of the Year. The season log and school records are HERE.

Baseball (18-8): It was a strange baseball season. Ocean City defeated Mainland twice. The Mustangs beat St. Augustine three times. And The Prep, which won the state Non-Public A title, defeated Ocean City twice. The Raiders qualified for the Joe Hartmann Diamond Classic but lost, 1-0, to Pitman in the first round. OCHS won its first round game in the CAL Tournament, but lost to Mainland, 3-2, in the second round. And the Raiders were beaten by eventual champion Delsea, 10-9, in the South Jersey Group 3 Tournament. All one-run decisions. Junior Evan Taylor (an Alabama commit) set new school career records for home runs (14), RBIs (76) and times walked (49) – breaking records set by Sean Mooney and Sean Feeney. He was a CAL all star and a Carpenter Cup selection, helping the Tri-Cape team reach the finals again in Citizens Bank Park. Coach Andrew Bristol got his 100th win in a 5-4 decision against Holy Spirit, becoming the fastest OCHS baseball coach to reach 100. Matt Pashley led the team with a .370 batting average and did some good work on the mound. He was the only senior on the Raiders’ seven-man pitching staff. The season log and school records are HERE. Final CAL standings & stat leaders are HERE.

Golf (13-6): The Raiders won the Ralph Carson Memorial County Tournament and qualified for the NJSIAA Tournament, finishing fourth in South Jersey. They also played in the Garden State Cup and the prestigious Arena-Ripkin Tournament. Senior Garrett Rowand (40.76), junior Sam Ritti (42..04) and junior Alex Bayham (42.38) had nine-hole averages under 43. Freshman Lilly Flora (48.20) was a CAL girls all star. OCHS expects to have a separate girls golf team beginning next spring. The season log and school records are HERE.

Boys Lacrosse (14-8): The Raiders had their win streak against CAL teams ended at 38 over six seasons by Holy Spirit. But they won the next four, including a 12-7 win over the Spartans in the Cape-Atlantic Tournament final. They lost to Shawnee in the South Jersey Group 3 semifinals. But the big news was Pat Grimley. The senior, committed to Harvard, was named Player of the Year in New Jersey. He is the first OCHS boy to be named Best in the State in any sport, joining two girls swimmers – Amanda Nunan and Maggie Wallace – and runner Brittany Sedberry in cross country as the only other Raiders. Grimley finished the season with 84 goals, shattering the OCHS record, and 42 assists, 4th best all-time. For his career he scored a record 249 goals, nearly doubling the player in second place, and had a school record 144 assists. Senior Charlie Schutta added 50 goals and 37 assists this year with senior Chase LaBarre getting 37 goals and 25 assists. Grimley was an all star for the fourth straight year and was joined on the all star team this year by Schutta and defensive specialist Grant Overbeck, a senior. And Coach Joe LaTorre extended his school record for career victories to 154. The season log, stats and school records are HERE. Final CAL standings & stat leaders are HERE.

Girls Lacrosse (17-6): The Raiders stretched their CAL win streak to 78 games over eight seasons, including a win over Holy Spirit in the CAL Tournament final. They lost to Moorestown in the South Jersey semifinals. Both of those things also happened in 2023. Senior Delainey Sutley scored 73 goals, third most in the CAL, and finished her career with 216, third best all-time at OCHS. She was also one of the league’s best in draw controls and forced turnovers. Senior Gracie Pierce and junior Brynn Culmone combined for 41 assists and senior Presley Green made 160 saves in goal. Sutley, Pierce, junior Faith Pacquing, senior Julianna Duff and senior Kelsea Cooke were CAL all stars. Green received honorable mention. The season log, stats and school records are HERE. Final CAL standings & stat leaders are HERE.

Softball (17-10): The Raiders won back-to-back conference championships for the first time since 1975. They got off to a good start, winning seven straight in April. They lost to Middle Township in the first round of the CAL Tournament and were beaten by Mainland in the second round of the NJSIAA Group 3 Tournament. Sophomores Brooke Douglas (.451) and Jessica Mooney (.444) were among the CAL’s top hitters and home run hitters. As pitchers, they both were among the top 10 in strikeouts. They were both CAL all stars and junior Taylor Vaugh received honorable mention. The season log and school records are HERE. Final CAL standings & stat leaders are HERE.

Girls Flag Football (4-3): In their first varsity season, Patricia Kelly’s team won three straight in the middle of the season over Delsea, Middle Township and Pleasantville. They played both Kingsway and Egg Harbor Township, who ended up playing for the West Jersey Football League championship. Freshman Savannah Rolls was the quarterback, junior Kaia Ray was the top running back and freshman Emma Vince the leading receiver. The NJSIAA has indicated that it will add state tournaments for flag football starting in 2026. The girls flag football season log is HERE.

Boys Tennis (16-4): Ocean City shared the conference championship with Mainland and won the South Jersey Group 3 championship by beating Shawnee. It was the first sectional tile in boys tennis for the Raiders since Phil Birnbaum’s team won back-to-back in 1982-83. Along the way, they defeated Moorestown for the first time in 50 years. Senior Charles DiCicco, committed to Ursinus, won the CAL singles title for the second straight year and the doubles team of senior Colin Bowman and his brother Chase, a sophomore, won the CAL doubles title. The Bowman brothers defeated senior Luke Wagner and sophomore Joe Goodman, Ocean City’s other doubles team, in the CAL final. DiCicco and the Bowmans were joined on the CAL all star team by senior Tracy Steingard. The season log and school records are HERE.

The South Jersey championship won by boys tennis – coupled with the two cross country titles in the fall – increased Ocean City’s all-time South Jersey championship total to 115.

Boys Track (7-1-1): The Raiders won the county meet for the 43rd time in 51 years and the 16th straight time under Matt Purdue. They lost to conference champion Egg Harbor Township and tied Hammonton in dual meets. Senior Luke Halbruner broke his own school record in the 400 meters and also set a new school record for 100 meters. The old 100 record was shared by Leon Brown, Kevin Sinclair, Pat Tolomeo, Josh Rolls and by Halbruner, himself. Four Raiders were all-conference, including Halbruner, senior Matt Hoffman, sophomore Erik Preisner and junior Ethan Buck. The season log and school records are HERE.

Girls Track (9-0): Sophia Curtis continued her assault on track records. The senior, headed to Virginia Tech, graduated with records in the 400 meters, 400 hurdles, triple jump and as the anchor in the 4×100 relay. She was an All-American in two events, won four state titles and won the triple jump in the NJSIAA Meet of Champions as a junior. She did not compete in the MOC as a senior to prepare for the national meets, where she earned her fourth All-American status. In addition to winning the Billy Schoppy Award, her triple jump was the third best in state history and second best in South Jersey history. She also was selected the best Indoor Track athlete in the area after winning a state title in that meet. Junior Naomi Nnewihe also set a school record, bettering Kayla Ghanavati’s record in the 100 meters. Curtis was joined by junior Maeve Smith, sophomore Callie Duff and freshman Carly Godfrey on the CAL all stars. Coach Tim Cook also kept the Raiders’ record perfect – 40-0 – in the county track meet. And the undefeated season was the first in girls track since 1998 when Mike Naples’ team produced its 10th unbeaten season. The season log and school records are HERE.

Coaches: Aside from Purdue, Cuneo, Bogushefsky, Calhoun, Bristol, LaTorre and others – who are mentioned above – there were additional accomplishments by OCHS coaches. Ed Ritti had his 10th winning season in his 10 years as OCHS golf coach. John Bruno is 10 wins away from 500 in boys basketball and about 30 wins away from moving into the all-time South Jersey Top 10. Kevin Smith ended the football season 13th on the South Jersey list of wins by active coaches, six wins short of the top 10. Tim Kelley, who has the highest OCHS winning percentage in boys tennis history, enters next season needed 14 wins for 100. And Tim Cook has a very impressive 70-8 record in nine overall seasons – 26-1 in girls track and 44-7 in girls cross country.

Cook’s advance knocked Dixie Howell out of the Top 10 in career winning percentage by coaches with at least 5 years.

There, basically, is a summary of the Ocean City High School sports year – a year with continued success and, despite many talented seniors having graduated, a great many young student-athletes offering the potential of more good years ahead .