By Dave O’Sullivan
Glory Days
In just a few short months, Glory Days Magazine will be celebrating its seventh anniversary of covering high school sports in the Cape-Atlantic League! As we wrap up the calendar year of 2019, let’s take a quick look back at some of the highlights from all the high school sports action we saw the past 12 months, and some of the storylines that dominated the headlines at glorydaysonline.com.
State champs for the first time: A pair of girls sports teams captured the first state championship in their respective programs’ history in 2019, as the Mainland Regional girls basketball and Ocean City girls soccer teams went all the way, winning South Jersey and then overall state championships. The Mainland girls were led by some gritty seniors, such as Taylor Dalzell, Claudia Mairone, Lauren Toner and Jillian Gatley, and also featured one of the best players in the nation in junior (and now senior) Kylee Watson. The Stangs made it all the way to the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions before their run came to an end against Manchester. The Ocean City girls soccer team was equally impressive, losing just one game all season while winning the Group 3 state championship with a convincing victory over Ramapo — which came into the title game ranked No. 5 in New Jersey. The Red Raiders allowed just nine goals in 26 games while scoring 122.
Inspiring runs: The spring sports season saw some late-season heroics from a lot of players as Ocean City’s softball and boys lacrosse teams made postseason runs. The often overlooked softball team relied on an infield full of seniors and made a dramatic run to the sectional semifinals before a tough 4-2 loss Moorestown, and the Red Raiders’ boys lacrosse team nearly pulled off a win over Shawnee that would have put them into the sectional title game. The Egg Harbor Township baseball team, which got off to a rough start and hovered around the .500 mark all season, got hot in the playoffs and made it all the way to the sectional title game before falling to Cherry Hill East. St. Augustine Prep, one of the top baseball programs in the state, made its way into the state championship game but lost to Delbarton in extra innings.
A season of highs and lows: This past football season showed — in stark contrast — the very best and the very worst in South Jersey, on the same night. As the playoffs were underway, Holy Spirit went out and throttled St. Mary of Rutherford in its opening round game, notching an emotional win just hours after beloved assistant coach Bill Walsh lost his nearly three-year battle with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. Walsh died on a Friday morning, and Friday night senior running back E’lijah Gray wore Walsh’s old No. 16 jersey and had a dominating performance. Only minutes after that game ended, tragedy struck a mile away at Pleasantville High School, as a shooting happened in the stands during the third quarter of the Greyhounds’ South Jersey Group 2 semifinal matchup against Camden. Three people were shot, including 10-year-old Micah Tennant, who died from his injuries the following Wednesday, just hours before the game was resumed at Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles. Throughout the remainder of the state playoffs, including championship games at Rutgers University, a moment of silence was offered in remembrance of young Micah, the victim of senseless violence during a high school football game.
South Jersey a hotbed of talent: One thing 2019 will be remembered for in years to come is the signaling of South Jersey as a recruiting destination for college coaches, including big-time colleges and multiple sports. Kylee Watson, mentioned above, was one of the most highly recruited high school basketball players in the nation before deciding to commit to the University of Oregon, and classmate Devin Lasco — perhaps the best swimmer South Jersey has ever seen — made his commitment to the University of California. Just recently another Mainland athlete, junior baseball player Chase Petty, announced he had given a verbal commitment to the University of Florida. Also, Wildwood Catholic basketball star Taj Thweatt selected the University of West Virginia and his teammate, Jahlil White, picked Temple University.
Dave O’Sullivan is the publisher of Glory Days Magazine, the premier high school sports digital publication at the Jersey Shore. For more Glory Days features, visit glorydaysonline.com.
