By TOM WILLIAMS The second week in June is underway. It is normally a time filled with graduations and preparations for graduations; for athletic and academic award ceremonies; for end of the school year celebrations. Because of COVID-19, some of … Continue reading COLUMN: The Wildcats & The Crusaders

By TOM WILLIAMS About 14 weeks ago, just a few days after high school basketball was prematurely ended in New Jersey for health and safety reasons, the Press of Atlantic City published an editorial calling for the addition of a … Continue reading COLUMN: Please…no basketball shot clock

By TOM WILLIAMS It has basically been a couple of months now that most of us have been quarantined, venturing out just occasionally and looking for things to do around the house. A lot of home improvements have taken place … Continue reading COLUMN: Getting high school athletes back in the game

By TOM WILLIAMS This is undoubtedly the most unusual Memorial Day in America’s history. Started as Decoration Day in the 19th century (some believe the earliest tributes were by the Confederate Army in the South during the Civil War) the … Continue reading COLUMN: Memorial Day baseball – it started 64 years ago in Ocean City

By TOM WILLIAMS Chuck Betson, who died today after a long illness, was a major part of the area sports community for more than three decades. His longtime radio talk show – The Betson Connection – discussed national stories but … Continue reading COLUMN: Remembering Chuck Betson

By TOM WILLIAMS Note: This column was originally written 15 years ago and appears here just as it was written then, even though some facts have changed. With the recent death of Frank Wickes it has new meaning. The column … Continue reading COLUMN: Looking back with Ocean City’s 1955 state champs

By TOM WILLIAMS Through the decades there have been athletes at Ocean City High School whose names just go together. They were athletes who played together, complimented each other and whose performances led to success for the Raiders. There was Tarves and Davis, Leary and Krattenmaker, Foglio and Vanderslice, Lynch and Muzslay, Bryant and Rackley, LeFever and Lipford, Fox and Banks and Picketts and Doto. In recent seasons you could add Nunan and Wallace, Aungst and Lashley, Donoghue and Rolls and Slimmer and Reimet. But the original combination, back in the mid 1950s, was Kennedy and Wickes. Joe Kennedy was … Continue reading COLUMN: Remembering Frank Wickes

By TOM WILLIAMS Serious Cape-Atlantic League fans might remember Myron Rolle. He grew up as an outstanding athlete in Galloway Township and went to St. Augustine Prep as a freshman. He played varsity football and basketball for The Prep that … Continue reading COLUMN: He grew up in Galloway, played in the NFL and now treats the virus

By TOM WILLIAMS For the past four years the basketball fans of the Cape-Atlantic League have had a chance to enjoy the career of the greatest girls basketball player in the league’s history. If you look at the numbers – … Continue reading COLUMN: Kylee!

By TOM WILLIAMS High school basketball ended suddenly almost three weeks ago. Four Cape-Atlantic League teams still had a game to play, three of them in state finals. It was a season with no snow postponements that was cancelled early … Continue reading COLUMN: Reviewing CAL Hoops 2019-20

By TOM WILLIAMS It was more than three decades ago when Paul Baruffi journeyed down Route 49 from Vineland. He had been an undersized corner back and point guard for the Fighting Clan and he wanted to be a coach. … Continue reading COLUMN: No. 8 for Paul Baruffi