After winning program’s first S.J. Group III title, Red Raiders look to repeat | High School

Final season, the Ocean City Superior University boys lacrosse team captured its first South Jersey Group III title and advanced to the condition championship. But the Pink Raiders graduated 14 seniors, all of whom introduced management that led to just one of the finest seasons in application record.

Ocean City opened its time Wednesday with a 17-2 victory about Absegami.

“Last year’s run we produced late in the 12 months, I attribute that to the seniors,” Ocean Town coach Joe LaTorre stated. “Not that they did anything, but the case in point they established for the crew and the depth they brought each and every day is the rationale we were ready to deliver household our very first South Jersey (title).

“These seniors this 12 months have big footwear to fill.”

Even though Ocean Town dropped a great deal of senior management, the team is even now quite gifted and has all the items to make a further operate at a sectional title this spring. The Red Raiders feature a bunch of young expertise, together with sophomore Pat Grimley, who scored a workforce-top 54 ambitions and additional 26 helps final period.

The sophomore attacker aims to assistance the staff on offense again. But Grimley admitted that there are lots of other great players who can rating and, if they perform as a cohesive unit, “we will be ready to put it all with each other and maybe go further more than past year,” he said.

Grimley was a initial-team Press All Star in 2021.

“When we lost in the condition championship, it (stunk). We still have that experience on us,” Grimley claimed. “But we received more than our losses. We are back, and we are likely to attempt to be much better than ever.”

Attacker Jack Davis and faceoff specialist Dylan Dwyer, the two juniors, and senior midfielder Nick Volpe, who ended up all honorable mentions very last year, and junior defender Paul Tjoumakaris are some of the critical returning players for the Red Raiders. Grimley claimed there are also other proficient returners, so the reduction of all those lots of seniors, together with 4 to start with-crew options, are not an problem.

Grimley thinks his teammates can return to the sectional finals, mostly for the reason that of the workforce chemistry.

“You lose seniors each year,” he reported. “You require new ones to stage up. I’m confident. I really feel superior for this season.”

Very last season, Grimley led the team in objectives. The following optimum have been graduated seniors Jake Schneider (48) and Brady Rauner (33). Volpe was fourth on the staff with 28, and Davis was fifth with 14.

This spring, LaTorre claimed the offense will be much more nicely-balanced.

“It’s not just a a person-guy clearly show,” he reported. “All 6 guys out on the subject are a excellent menace. (Grimley) undoubtedly delivers an X-aspect, but there are five other fellas out there who can participate in just as well. If we get the offense functioning together just as properly as the stop of very last year, I feel we are heading to be in superior condition.”

Ocean Metropolis scheduled tricky packages like St. Augustine Prep (which advanced to the condition Non-General public A semifinals in 2021), Don Bosco Prep (state Non-Community A and Event of Champions winners), Rumson Reasonable-Haven (defending South Jersey Team II champions). Manasquan (S.J. Group I champions) and Southern Regional (S.J. Group IV champions). The Crimson Raiders will also engage in Ridge and Haddonfield, systems that also experienced sound seasons in 2021.

There is a reason for that — taking part in the finest will only make the crew superior. And seeing how they match up in opposition to the prime teams in the condition will inform how much Ocean City will go this spring.

Ocean City was The 2021 Push Crew of the Calendar year. LaTorre was the Mentor of the Year.

“We are young and inexperienced, but we have young children who can perform and who are keen to get much better every single and each individual working day, and which is all I can talk to for,” LaTorre reported. “I will know right after a several game titles in which we sit, but I consider this team is as solid as previous year’s. It’ll be fascinating to see who actions up.”