By TOM WILLIAMS

The Ocean City Sportsperson of the Year started in 1963 in the Sentinel-Ledger with the selection of Bob French, a strong supporter of high school and youth sports. Others in that category – like Chet Wimberg, Bill Gans, Harry Vanderslice, Rich Tolson, Naz Costanza, Greg Donahue, Matt Ulmer, Bill Shallcross and Joe Fagan – would follow over the years.

There have been remarkable athletes (Jack Neall, Pat Lynch, Kevin Sinclair and Chad Severs) and administrators (Don Pileggi, Mike Allegretto, Paul LeFever, Mike Pellegrino and Walt Tucker).

And many high school coaches – from Kelly Halliday, Andrew Bristol, Kevin Smith, Joe LaTorre, Aaron Bogushefsky, John Bruno, Matt Purdue, Trish LeFever and Paul Baruffi, back to Dixie Howell, Fenton Carey, Jack Boyd, Pat Dougherty, Mike Slaveski and Phil Birnbaum – who have been recognized. Last year, Purdue and girls coach Tim Cook were both selected.

This year the salute goes to a guy who had a tremendous career at OCHS and followed it up with an impressive college career. But he was not selected only for his success on the field but also for the way he conducts himself off the field as he goes through life as a representative of Ocean City High School.

Joe Repetti threw for more than 2,200 passing yards in football at Ocean City High School including a school record 21 TD passes. He also ran for more than 800 yards and 12 more touchdowns. And he was a successful punter for two years.

Repetti was also the point guard on the team where Gannon Brady led South Jersey scoring, contributing more than five points per game, 60 assists and 35 steals, both second on the team. And he was the catcher on the only OCHS baseball team to win a state title, batting over .300 and finishing second on the team in runs scored and hits. He was a finalist for the Billy Schoppy Award, presented to the top senior athlete in the Cape-Atlantic League.

From there he went on to Muhlenberg College where he passed for over 8,400 yards and ran for more than 1,500 yards, throwing for 103 TDs and running for 24 more. He proved the depth of his athletic skills when he joined the Muhlenberg golf team as a junior and shot in the 70s.

For all that he has been on the fields, the court and the course. And for the positive image he still presents as a representative of OCHS, Joe Repetti is the 68th Ocean City SportsPerson of the Year.

SPORTSPERSONS OF THE DECADE

2010s JOHN BRUNO

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

SPORTSPERSONS OF THE YEAR

2025 JOE REPETTI

2024 MATT PURDUE…TIM COOK

2023 MIKE PELLEGRINO

2022 BILL SHALLCROSS…MATT ULMER

2021 JOE LaTORRE

2020 GEOFF HAINES

2019 KELLY HALLIDAY

2018 ANDREW BRISTOL

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 EBERSON

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

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The early weeks of one year is always a good time to look back on the top local sports stories of the previous year. As is the custom, the 10 sports stories that seemed to generate the most interest throughout Ocean City in 2025 are gathered:

1. The girls cross country team won a state championship, the 27th by all OCHS teams combined and the second in cross country, joining Mike Naples 1988 team.

2. The boys basketball team reached the South Jersey final for the third straight year, tying a school record, and won the championship. That marked the seventh South Jersey boys basketball title in school history but the first on their home court.

3. South Jersey championships on the same day by the boys cross country and girls cross country teams for the third straight year. Eric Preisner won the boys championship for the second straight season, joining Miles Schoedler, Brett Johnson and John Richardson in that accomplishment. OCHS sophomore Riley Tolson won the girls race.

4. The retirement of head football coach Kevin Smith after 14 seasons and 72 wins, the second most wins by an OCHS football coach to Gary Degenhardt. He was succeeded by assistant coach Sean Matthews, whose team did something no other OCHS football team had ever done in 2025 – defeated a state champion. The Raiders knocked off Cedar Creek, 20-17, and the Pirates went on to win the state Group 3 title. .

5. The untimely injury to Ben McGonigle in the first 30 seconds of the state boys basketball semi-final. Without McGonigle, their leader in points and assists, the Raiders still had the lead in the fourth quarter. But they eventually lost to Colts Neck, 47-45. Colts Neck went on to win the state title by eight points.

6. A quartet of Ocean City teams won Cape-Atlantic League Tournaments. That included the boys cross country, girls cross country, boys lacrosse and girls lacrosse teams.

7. And Jill Garza’s girls volleyball team won the CAL in only the program’s third year of existence.

8. Madelyn Adamson missed the girls basketball season because of an off-season injury that also forced her to miss the 2024 field hockey season. Adamson would have entered her senior basketball year with 582 points.

9. Evan Taylor collected his 104th hit, joining Sean Money as the only OCHS players with 100 or more hits. Taylor also ended with 101 RBIs, 21 home runs and a .374 batting average. He now plays for the University of Alabama.

10. The Battle at the Beach played one day of football games at Carey Stadium, including a battle between Florida’s Nationally ranked IMG Academy and South Jersey power Winslow Township.

It was a great 12 months, Already in 2025 we’ve experienced the most successful Butch Gleason Coaches vs Cancer Day in its 16-year history, the boys basketball team reached the semifinals of the CAL Tournament and the boys swim team reached the South Jersey final. Let’s hope the rest of 2025 provides many more great memories.