November 23, 2005
Boys soccer, field hockey teams add to OCHS success
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
Something happened at The College of New Jersey over the weekend that had not happened to the Ocean
City High School sports program before.
Two outright state championships in the same season.
When Mike Pellegrino’s boys soccer completed the program’s first undefeated season on Friday and Trish
LeFever’s field hockey team sealed its title on Sunday, they made history.
There was 1999, when the boys soccer team shared a state title, the field hockey team won and the
football team was South Jersey champion. But this was the first time two teams won outright state titles.
This was the sixth title for LeFever’s girls and the fifth for boys soccer (four teams coached by Pellegrino,
one by Bob Martin) and both have enough young players to work their way back again.
If they do, LeFever’s team may have an even loftier goal. Starting next fall, the state champions will play in
a Tournament of Champions, similar to basketball. And don’t be surprised if a TOC for soccer is far behind.
These two sports have always had success at OCHS. In 50 combined seasons, there has only been one
losing season and one .500 season. The OCHS boys soccer and field hockey teams have 802 wins
between them and just 181 losses.
Over the weekend they combined to focus the entire state on their great success story.
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Absegami and St. Joseph will both play for NJSIAA football championships the first weekend of December.
And both have games during this Thanksgiving Week.
That is where the similarities end.
St. Joseph will host Hammonton on Saturday morning (11am) in a game that will determine the National
Conference champion. If St. Joe wins, it is the solo champion. A Hammonton upset would create a
three-way tie with Holy Spirit.
Meanwhile, Absegami will play on Thursday morning against rival Oakcrest in a game that has no bearing
on the American Conference race. Gami has already won that championship.
The big difference?
The St. Joe players will have two additional days to recover from Saturday’s playoff game.
About 10 or 12 years ago, the NJSIAA required teams that play in playoff games the weekend before
Thanksgiving postpone their Thanksgiving game until Saturday. After a year or so, they changed that from
a requirement to a strong suggestion.
Very few schools are taking the suggestion. And it is a mistake.
The Cape-Atlantic League, which is the hotbed of Thanksgiving rivalries, should create its own rule that
requires the two-day postponement. It won’t affect the attendance. Those that have to work on Saturday
and will miss the game should be more than offset by those from others schools who will be free to attend.
And, besides, since when are these things determined by their impact on the fans? Very few fans are
pleased with the 5:30 and 6:00 start for basketball games that is spreading around the league. These
decisions should be made based on what is best for the athletes. And they need that extra two days to
properly recover from a tough playoff game.
This wouldn’t really impact too many games. Since Hammonton and St. Joseph have already made the
switch part of their schedule, only Absegami-Oakcrest would be changed this year. In the last 10 years,
only 13 games would have been changed out of the 70 scheduled for Thanksgiving.
Making these two-day postponements mandatory would be the right thing to do for the CAL’s high school
football players.
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Tim DeBaufre, who graduated from OCHS in 1957, was inducted into the Philadelphia section of the PGA
Hall of Fame last month. Presently Director of Golf at Greate Bay Golf Club in Somers Point, he was golf
pro for 17 years at the Philadelphia Country Club and played on the PGA Tour in the 1960s and 1970s.
There was no golf team at OCHS when he attended, so DeBaufre had to settle for basketball, playing on
one of the most successful teams in Raider history. Another member of that basketball team was Larry
Harrison, now the President of the highly-successful ShopRite LPGA Classic and a very good amateur
golfer.
Imagine if Ocean City had a high school golf team when they were here?
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