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About The Cover Coaches dream about having players like Kate Herlihy on their team. She comes from a family that includes three older athletic siblings, meaning her skill and determination has been getting tested from an early age, as has her mental toughness. She can do just about anything you ask of her on a field hockey or lacrosse field, or a basketball court. She also brings other important things to the table, like leadership and the ability to make plays in clutch situations. She can guard the other team’s best player or be your leading scorer; your choice, coach. Or maybe even both. She was that good during her career at Middle Township High School, and no doubt all those qualities have traveled with her to Rowan University. It’s a pleasure for Glory Days Magazine to announce our Girls Sports Senior of the Year for the class of 2021. I doubt we’ll get many dissenting opinions on this choice! Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher
GLORY DAYS General Contact Information Phone: 856-336-2600 Email: sullyglorydays@gmail.com Publisher Dave O’Sullivan Email: sullyglorydays@gmail.com @GDsullysays on Twitter Contributors Amy D’Adamo, graphic design Mark Trible, special football writer Larry Henry Jr., correspondent Ben Hale, Social Media Volume 8, Issue 9 (Issue No. 159) 2021 Glory Days Magazine LLC, all rights reserved.
Story Idea? Email sully@acglorydays.com or direct message Sully on Twitter, @GDSullysays
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headlines u PRESENTED BY BUNTING FAMILY PHARMACY u Early success
The football season is in high gear as we head into late September, and a couple of teams have gotten off to surprising starts. Cedar Creek heads into Week 4 with a sparkling 3-0 record and the Pirates have yet to surrender a single point, as they’ve posted three straight shutouts. Also, Oakcrest, a team that went 0-8 a year ago, won its first two games before a tough 13-7 loss to Egg Harbor Township last week. Still, getting off to a 2-1 start under new head coach Mike Forest is a big deal for this program and something to build upon.
Powers collide
Ocean City has been one of the most dominant field hockey programs in South Jersey for a long time now, and early in the season coach Kelsey Mitchell’s team passed a huge test when the Red Raiders scored a 1-0 overtime win over Shore Regional of Monmouth County, another traditional state powerhouse. The Raiders have a tough game against Egg Harbor Township on
Friday and have some big non-league games still left on the schedule, including Rancocas Valley, Haddonfield and Bishop Eustace in midOctober.
lege athletes are now able to. For instance, the Melton brothers of Cedar Creek who are now playing football at Rutgers, Bo and Max, have signed endorsement deals with companies to promote products, and if the proposal is passed, high school athletes in New Jersey may The NJSIAA is considering allowing high school have the same opportunities. We’ll have to stay athletes to make money off NIL (name, im- tuned to see how this plays out. age, likeness) in much the same way that col-
Making money moves?
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BOYS SPORTS 2021 ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Chase Petty/Mainland Regional/Baseball
Completely dominant A Staff report ll the trappings were there for Chase Petty to just kind of cruise through his senior year at Mainland Regional, maybe go out and dominate a few games on the mound, give the hometown fans a thrill once a week during the spring. But when you get right down to it, Petty is a ballplayer. He’s a competitor. His goal was to lead the Mainland baseball team to a state championship. The Major League Baseball draft, the millions of dollars that come along with being a first-round pick, all that could wait. Petty brought a business-like attitude to the field every day and was wildly successful despite a heavy, heavy load of expectations on his shoulders. He and his team fell short of a state championship as the Mustangs were beaten in the sectional final by rival and eventual Group 3 state champion Ocean City, but Petty’s exploits will be remembered in Linwood for years to come. Glory Days Magazine’s Boys Sports Athlete of the
Mainland star pitcher Chase Petty was virtually unhittable in his senior campaign
Year, the 26th overall pick in the first round by the Minnesota Twins, not only was the best pitcher in the state this spring but also was one of the top offensive players as well. He rapped out 32 hits, 32 RBIs, scored 28 runs, hit four homers and 11 doubles, and had 12 stolen bases. For a guy who had a milliondollar arm to protect he played with reckless abandon, his uniform completely filthy after every game. He didn’t shy away from giving 100 percent, even knowing what the future held in store. And what makes his senior season all the more impressive is that he came through in the clutch time and time again, even with the entire New Jersey baseball world watching his every move. Not to mention dozens of MLB scouts at every game he pitched. It got to the point where Mainland had to take down the wind screen on the fence behind home plate and set up a roped-off area just for professional scouts, complete with a set of bleachers. Petty’s shining moment came in at game at Arm
& Hammer Park in Trenton when he faced off against Don Bosco Prep, one of the top five teams in the state. Petty pitched all seven innings, hitting triple digits on his fastball on several occassions, and his final pitch blazed in at 97 miles per hour. He allowed just two hits while striking out 13 batters. He also reached base in the bottom of the seventh and scored the tying run as Mainland won, 3-2, in walk-off fashion on Cole Campbell’s two-run double to left. For the season, Petty was about as dominant as anyone could have asked for. Of the more than 700 pitches he threw in 48-plus innings, only 17 resulted in hits by the opposing team. He allowed just eight earned runs all year, walked only 17 and struck out 99. He also had four games with 13 strikeouts or more, including 17 twice and 18 in a 3-0 win against Millville in late April. Holy Spirit and Moorestown were the only teams to manage more than two hits against him in any of his eight appearances.
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GIRLS SPORTS 2021 ATHLETE OF THE YEAR faith slimmer/ocean city/soccer
When Faith gets tested Every team she ever faced tried to stop Ocean City’s Faith Slimmer from scoring. Few ever did. By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer here were several constants the past couple of years in Ocean City. Seagulls would take every opportunity they could to steal a fry or pizza crust; sunsets beyond the 9th Street bridge would make for fantastic photos; in winter the wind would whip down the boardwalk and freeze you to your bones; and Faith Slimmer would score goals for the Ocean City girls soccer team. You could count on that as much as you could the sun coming up. Slimmer set the South Jersey soccer world ablaze during her final two years as a Red Raider, racking up 65 goals and 45 assists during that time. In her final two seasons, Glory Days Magazine’s Girls Sports Athlete of the Year was held without a goal or an assist on just three occasions, and only one Cape-Atlantic League team — Middle Township — was able to keep her off the board. For her career, Slimmer tallied an eye-popping 100 goals and 65 assists, including a junior year that saw her net 35 goals and 28 assists, make firstteam all-state and lead her team to the program’s first state championship in its history. The Red Raiders posted a 24-1-1 record in 2019 (losing to and tying Rancocas Valley) and beat Ramapo soundly, 3-0, in the Group 3 championship game. Not to be outdone her senior year, Slimmer — in a Covid-19shortened 12-game schedule — racked up 30 goals and 17 assists. She needed
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Glory Days file photo/Sully
Faith Slimmer, now a freshman at The University of Charleston in South Carolina, graduated from Ocean City as the girls soccer team’s all-time leading scorer with 100 goals. four goals in the season’s final game to reach 100, and that’s just what she did in a lopsided win over Absegami. “Going into my last season at Ocean City, I was definitely nervous that we wouldn’t be able to play at all, so the games we were able to play — even though it was a shorter season — made me so happy. We were so thankful to play those games. The whole team
knew the season might be short, but we were going to put it all out on the line and do our best for each other and the school. It was a great experience. The team camaraderie was really good. I miss it a lot now,” said Slimmer, who originally committed to Rutgers but now is playing at The College of Charleston in South Carolina. “I was very skeptical (about reaching
100 goals), and so was everyone else. It was unlikely that I would reach 100 goals so I just tried not to think about it and just went out and played my best every game. When it got to that final game I was like, ‘oh, wow, I’m really close.’ My teammates were all behind me and we pushed to get to that goal
See Faith, page 10
Page 10 w Glory Days Magazine w Sept. 17, 2021 Faith, from page 9 I had been striving for all four years, and that was awesome. “It was an incredible accomplishment and I don’t take any of the credit at all. It was the whole team that got me there, it wasn’t just me scoring those goals,” she added. “It was the team build up, the practices and the hours of time that we spent together that helped me get there. And finally getting to that mark was such a great accomplishment, not only for myself, but the entire team. It was awesome and it made me feel great.” Slimmer came in as a freshman four years ago with the kind of foot skills that made the jaws of longtime South Jersey soccer fans drop to the ground. She could take on multiple defenders, seemingly just toying with them, until ripping a shot from distance or finding a wide-open teammate. Her knowledge of the game and skill set were far above the average high
school player, even when she was 14 years old. And throughout her career she only got better, stronger and more confident. What made Slimmer’s numbers even more incredible is that every team she played against had the No. 1 objective of stopping her from playing a hand in goals. To beat Ocean City, you had to stop Faith Slimmer — and few teams could. “It definitely challenged me. It was great to have a challenge like that to make me a better player, and it also gave other players on my team an opportunity to get open so they could score. I took it as a challenge. It made me a better player, for sure, during my four years at Ocean City. We had other dangerous players aside from me,” said Slimmer, whose younger sisters, Hope and Joy, now carry the torch for Ocean City. “Playing with confidence was the biggest thing for me. Freshman year, yeah, I had confidence but I was still a freshman and I was unsure about how I fit into the team. But as the years went on I got more
confident in my game and my ability, which made me play more fluidly. I had more creative freedom.” During Slimmer’s final three seasons, Ocean City went a combined 54-5-3 and won a South Jersey Group 3 title and an overall Group 3 state championship. She scored 79 goals and had 57 assists in those 62 games. “My career was definitely more than I could have asked for and something I’ll be forever grateful for,” Slimmer said. “Ocean City soccer had such a big impact on me, from the coaches to the players to our supporters — it was awesome. I’ll remember that state championship forever. That was awesome, not just for us but for all of South Jersey. We definitely made an impact. Our team was so special that year, the chemistry we had. We were all best friends off the field. It was awesome.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
Glory Days file photo/Sully
As a junior, Slimmer scored 35 goals and led Ocean City to its first state championship in program history, and as a senior she racked up 30 goals and led the Red Raiders to a regional championship in a Covid-shortened 2020 campaign.
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2021 ATHLETE OF THE YEAR Candidates boys u Ahmad Brock, Egg Harbor Township soccer, track: Brock (pictured below) was one of the best and most versatile athletes in the state during his career. He dominated in soccer, played basketball for the first time as a senior and led EHT to a 14-1 record, and in track he was a county, South Jersey and state champion. u Patrick Smith, Holy Spirit, football: All he did was rush for more than 1,700 yards last fall. In just eight games. Smith, a freshman at Vanderbilt, led Spirit to an 8-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in South Jersey, and was the state’s Offensive Player of the Year. u Jayden Shertel, St. Joseph Academy/Holy Spirit, football, baseball: A tremendous athlete, Shertel led St. Joseph to several state championship game appearances during his football career, then, as a senior, he transferred to Spirit and led the Spartans’ baseball team to a state title as a pitcher and outfielder. u Gannon Brady, Ocean City, basketball, baseball: One of the most dominant pitchers in South Jersey, he led the Red Raiders to their first-ever state championship this spring. He also led the Cape-Atlantic League in scoring in basketball. u Brady Rauner, Ocean City, football, lacrosse: Rauner was one of the top defensive backs in the area in football and helped lead O.C.’s lacrosse team to its first South Jersey title ever. u Jake Schneider, Ocean City, football, lacrosse: One of the state’s most elusive wide receivers despite being only about 5-foot-7, Schneider had a tremendous football career and also was one of the leading scorers on the lacrosse team. u Marcus Pierce, St. Joseph Academy, basketball: Pierce arguably was the best player in the Cape-Atlantic League and helped lead St. Joseph to a 12-2 record.
girls
u Jackie Fortis, Absegami, volleyball, basketball: Not only was Fortis the best volleyball player in the Cape-Atlantic League, she also was one of the top basketball players, leading the Braves to a 10-1 record and one of the top rankings in the league. u Makayla Veneziale, St. Joseph Academy, field hockey, softball: All-Conference and All-South Jersey in softball, she was one of the top pitchers in the state. This spring she struck out 225 batters in 151 innings and allowed just 20 earned runs. The Delaware State commit also had more than 100 hits and 90 RBIs in her career. u Kylee Alvarez, Absegami, soccer, volleyball, track: Alvarez was one of the top midfielders in the CAL in soccer and in just one season of volleyball she racked up 44 kills. u Marianna Papazoglou, Wildwood Catholic, basketball: An outstanding guard/forward who helped transform the Crusaders into one of the top girls basketball programs in South Jersey. She’s currently a freshman at the University of Pennsylvania. u Katie McClintock, Mainland, swimming: The New Jersey Swimmer of the Year still has another season of high school swimming left to go, and she’s already been completely dominant. u Summer Reimet, Ocean City, soccer, lacrosse: A wonderful compliment to Faith Slimmer the past couple of years, Reimet is one of the top players in South Jersey in her own right. u Casey Etter, Millville, field hockey, lacrosse: She did it all for Millville in multiple sports, was a team captain and leader and one of each program’s leading scorers. u Lauren Princz, Egg Harbor Township, track: Simply a brilliant career on the track, the state champion (pictured above) is now doing her thing at Penn State.
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VIC’S SUBS COVER STORY
lasting impact Glory Days Magazine’s Girls Sports Senior of the Year Kate Herlihy left her mark at Middle Township in so many ways By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer emember that movie “Oblivion” starring Tom Cruise? The one with the post-apocalyptic landscape? It probably feels a bit like that in the halls of Middle Township High School these days. For the first time in years, there no longer is a Herlihy roaming the halls — and dominating for multiple sports teams. Kate Herlihy graduated in June and is beginning her college basketball career at Rowan University, and the shoes she left behind to fill by some senior this year might as well be clown shoes. There simply is no way to replace a student-athlete like Herlihy, who not only was one of the best players in South Jersey in three sports, but also one of the best teammates and leaders. She’s the last of a line of Herlihys that include older sisters Summer and Jenna and older brother Brian, and that family has left an indelible mark on Panthers sports history. And Kate, the youngest, may have been the best of them all. Glory Days Magazine’s Girls Sports Senior of the Year was a 100-goal scorer in field hockey, a 1,000-point scorer in basketball and she also scored more than 50 goals in her lacrosse career. She likely would have scored more than 100 goals in lacrosse but played only two seasons, as she ran track as a freshman and her junior season was wiped out due to Covid-19. She also graduated as one of the top 20 students at Middle and was involved in multiple community service projects throughout her career. “I had a very successful career, not only in sports, but in school, and I think that’s because I’ve always been pushed really hard to do my best,” Herlihy said. “I’ve had really good teammates, really good coaches, really good teachers — everybody at Middle wants you to do your best and achieve your potential. From the beginning they saw potential in me and did whatever they could to help me.”
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Glory Days file photo/Sully
Kate Herlihy, a 2021 graduate of Middle Township High School, will go down as one of the best athletes in school history. She scored more than 100 goals in field hockey and more See Herlihy, page 13 than 1,000 points in basketball, and also was a lacrosse standout.
Sept. 17, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 13 Herlihy, from page 12 “I coached Jenna and now Kate, so that’s eight years we’ve had one of them involved in our program. You look back at some of the names in our program and you literally spend eight, 10, 12 years with some families, when you think back to the Ruskeys, the Hunters, the Nelsons, the Sides — these are families that their kids grew up with my kids,” said Middle girls basketball coach John Leahy. “You spend a lot of time with certain families, and obviously Kate has been a special player and a huge part of our success. She is the full package when you talk about what a student-athlete is supposed to be like. She’s impacted more than just basketball — obviously in field hockey and lacrosse she’s been a huge part of their programs. She’s involved in multiple community service things and she’s in the top 15 in her class. She’s the definition of what a student-athlete is supposed to be. We’re all going to miss her. It’s been great to see her improve and grow and just get better and better as her career
“There’s no question she’s a kid we’ll be talking about for years. She might get embarrassed when you talk about it, but she has no idea the impact she has made on some of the grade school kids who are playing basketball right now.”
John Leahy Middle Township girls basketball coach
has gone on. “It’s a credit to their parents and the support they have, for sure,” Leahy added. “A lot of these kids, from an early age, are really driven to do well in the classroom. In a sense they are just as competitive in the classroom as they are on a field or on a court. They understand the importance of it. And I think athletics teaches you so much. The first thing you learn when you come in as a freshman and want to play a fall sport is you learn how to manage your time really quickly. If you don’t manage your time, you’re going to struggle if you want to play sports. Athletics teaches
them so much and I think our staff does a good job in stressing how important academics are. Kate has been an outstanding student, and if you take a look at the top 20 or 25 kids in every class, I’ll guarantee you that three-quarters of them are multi-sport athletes. I think athletics teaches them a lot.” Some kids are just born to be leaders, and Herlihy certainly fits that mold. She was the one her teammates — on every team she played for — looked to when the going got tough, to make a big play that could turn the tide of a game. “It was a very big responsibility,”
Herlihy said of being a team captain on multiple teams. “I’ve never been a super outgoing person but I didn’t really have a choice, I kind of had to be a leader. But it was nice to not only get pushed but also to push other people and see my teammates getting better. I played hard because I wanted our whole team to play hard. I wanted everyone to be good and us pushing each other was very important. “All my siblings — my brother Brian and sister Summer, they are the two oldest and they were both really good athletes at Middle, as well as Jenna,” she added. “All of them really helped me from childhood become a good athlete because we’d always be playing different sports. I would always lose when we played one-on-one and it would frustrate me, but it made me better.” “There’s no question she has really learned a lot and improved over the years. She came in as a freshman and we basically handed her the keys to the car and said, ‘go ahead, you’re driv-
See Herlihy, page 15
Sept. 17, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 15 Herlihy, from page 13 ing.’ And that’s not easy. Point guard might be the hardest spot to do that in but she has learned a lot and we’ve all grown together. She’s really developed into not only a tremendous athlete, but she’s just a really nice young lady and I’m sure whatever she does in life she’ll be successful,” Leahy said. “I don’t think there’s any question she was the best player in our league. It’s impressive. She has a lot of natural ability, and obviously the athleticism and instincts, and she’s a naturally competitive kid. She’s also a kid who during the season puts in a lot of time working on her body and strength and being in top condition. And during field hockey season she’d try to find an hour here or there to work on basketball skills. To be one of the elite kids in our school — and really in South Jersey — and be a three-sport athlete is pretty impressive.” Herlihy no doubt will have a successful career at Rowan, and in the years to come she’ll have closest
full of memories and trophies to look back on and reflect about her athletic career. But to her, she said, the biggest impact was always the people she was succeeding with in all those different sports. “My major milestones, like hitting 100 goals in field hockey and 1,000 points in basketball. I could replay those moments in my mind over and over,” Herlihy said. “And the playoff games stand out a lot, like the (basketball) playoff game against Manchester, even though we got crushed it was fun to play a team that was so insanely good. There were so many big games, and all those practices with my friends. I’ll go to work and see all kinds of people I played with or against and it’s funny sometimes how small the world is and how big of an impact that school had on me. It had a huge impact on my life. “It’s fun to have so many good things happen to me, especially my senior year. It was a blessing.” Leahy said Herlihy and her exploits in the blackand-orange won’t soon be forgotten. She’ll continue to have an impact on Middle Township athletics, even now that she’s gone.
“There’s no question she’s a kid we’ll be talking about for years,” he said. “She might get embarrassed when you talk about it, but she has no idea the impact she has made on some of the grade school kids who are playing basketball right now. I coach a lot of the younger kids, we have camps, and they see her play — they see girls like Kira Sides and Maddie Barber, and girls like them throughout the years — and they are inspired to work harder and be better so they can experience the success these types of girls have had. Barber is a great example. She’s starting at Temple lacrosse. She walked on, as a freshman, and now she’s starting at a Division I lacrosse program. You look back at the career she had a Middle, and we like to think that all of that has helped her attain one of her goals in college. There’s no question these kids are having a tremendous impact on the next generation of athletes to come through Middle.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
During her four-year varsity basketball career, Herlihy led the Panthers to a 70-24 record that included seven state playoff wins in 10 games. She also helped her team earn bids in the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament all four years, including a run to the finals as a junior. Glory Days file photo/Sully
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GIRLS SPORTS 2021 SENIOR OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES Glory Days Magazine is presenting a new award this year, our Senior of the Year, in both boys and girls sports. This award recognizes not only athletic achievement, but also scholastics and leadership. These athletes have gone above and beyond for their teams and schools throughout their high school careers and have been role models in their respective communities. Glory Days Magazine Girls Sports Senior of the Year: Kate Herlihy, Middle Township field hockey, basketball, lacrosse (See cover story on Page 12).
Candidates:
u Lauren Baxter, Egg Harbor Township soccer, basketball: Baxter battled injuries throughout her career but when healthy was one of the most important players in the EHT girls soccer program, and the school’s best girls basketball player. She exemplified leadership and commitment. u Haleigh Schafer, Absegami soccer, basketball, lacrosse: Schafer was one of the top
Cedar Creek 2021 graduate Abby Gunnels finished her softball career with more than 100 hits, and helped lead the Pirates to a sectional title this past spring. Glory Days file photo/Sully
all-around athletes in the Cape-Atlantic League during her career and was a CAL All-Star in multiple sports. She excelled on the basketball court, where she led the Braves to a 10-1 record this past winter and was one of the top scorers in the league. She also was a prominent scoring attack player in lacrosse. u Sophia Pasquale, Holy Spirit tennis, basketball, softball: One of the most underrated athletes in the league, Pasquale was the heartand-soul of a girls basketball program that completely rebuilt itself during her high school career. She also was an outstanding tennis player, and even joined the cheerleading squad as a senior. One of the best students to come out of Holy Spirit in recent years. u Abby Gunnels, Cedar Creek basketball, softball: During the basketball season, Gunnels helped guide a rebuilding effort with a lot of young players, and in softball all she did was finish with 100-plus career hits while leading the Pirates to a sectional championship.
u Bailey and Brooke Dickenson, Vineland softball: These twins both fought through devastating knee injuries during their careers but despite that were able to become some of the league’s best players their senior year. They became the face of Vineland softball, one of the top Group 4 teams in South Jersey, during their high school careers. u Casey Biglan, Egg Harbor Township soccer: She played defense her entire career, which may have been why she was overlooked, but perhaps the most valuable player for a program that continues to shine as one of the CAL’s best. With Biglan leading the way, EHT’s defense was one of the best in South Jersey. u Haley Korsak, Egg Harbor Township softball: Not only was she one of the best pitchers in South Jersey, but a true, gritty competitor who helped set the standard for the new generation of Eagles softball stars.
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BOYS SPORTS 2021 SENIOR OF THE YEAR CANDIDATES
By the time his high school football career was over, \Holy Spirit’s Devin Lee had become one of the top defensive backs in South Jersey. Glory Days file photo/Sully
Glory Days Magazine is presenting a new award this year, our Senior of the Year, in both boys and girls sports. This award recognizes not only athletic achievement, but also scholastics and leadership. These athletes have gone above and beyond for their teams and schools throughout their high school careers and have been role models in their respective communities. Glory Days Magazine Boys Sports Senior of the Year: Joe Repetti, Ocean City football, basketball, baseball (See feature story on Page 20). u Jake Inserra, Ocean City football, lacrosse: One of the top student at Ocean City, Inserra also was a punishing running back in football and staunch defender in lacrosse. He also was a team captain and leader for both programs. u Matt Delaney, St. Augustine Prep basketball: Delaney proved to be the best big man in the Cape-Atlantic League last winter and was a
solid leadership presence for a young Hermits team. His ability to perform in clutch situations helped keep the Hermits on top as one of the best programs in South Jersey. u Ethan Dodd, Egg Harbor Township basketball, baseball: At first glance it’s hard to believe that Ethan Dodd can beat you, but what he lacked in bulk he made up for with fluid movements in both sports that led to him quietly becoming one of the top athletes in the CAL. He could also play multiple positions in both sports and was just as good defensively as he was on offense. u Jaiden Abrams, Hammonton football: One of the most physically imposing running backs during his Blue Devils career, Abrams was also a top notch leader and team captain for Jim Raso’s squad. u Devin Lee, Holy Spirit football, track: Lee’s
name may not have been well known, but his exploits on the football field were. He blossomed into one of the top defensive backs in the West Jersey Football League as a senior and also was a very capable running back alongside Patrick Smith. He helped lead Spirit to the No. 1 ranking in South Jersey last fall. u Noel Gonzalez, Pleasantville basketball: A 1,000-point scorer in his career, Gonzalez was the heartbeat of a rebuilding Pleasantville program. He gave 100 percent every time out on the floor and was one of the more inspiring players to watch during his career. u Ryan Master, Atlantic City baseball: Master lost his sophomore season to a torn ACL, then his junior season to Covid-19, but he came back strong as a senior this past spring, eventually becoming Atlantic City’s best all-around player and a Cape-Atlantic League All-Star.
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BOYS SPORTS 2021 SENIOR OF THE YEAR joe repetti/ocean city/football, basketball, baseball
Everybody’s All-American A classic football, basketball and baseball star in every sense of the word By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer t’s kind of like seeing a Volkswagen Beetle these days. It’s such a rare thing anymore that you take notice. Kids don’t even know what you’re referring to when you lightly punch them on the arm and say, “punch buggy red.” It’s a thing of the past. Kind of like that All-American kid who plays football, basketball and baseball. That harkens back to the 1970s when other sports, such as lacrosse, soccer and swimming, weren’t all that popular or didn’t even exist on the high school level. Joe Repetti, a 2021 Ocean City High School graduate, makes people in their 50s, 60s and 70s long for the days of their youth, when the star quarterback was also a great basketball and baseball player, had a clean-cut look, grandma’s manners and grandpa’s toughness. Repetti — the Glory Days Magazine Boys Sports Senior of the Year — is a walking embodiment of nostalgia and what was once good and pure about high school sports. He’s got character, leadership — the girls at school fawned over him and the boys all wanted to be like him. He’s the kind of kid you invite over for Sunday dinner. He’s the kind of kid that coaches are eager to talk about. Just ask Red Raiders football coach Kevin Smith or baseball skipper Andrew Bristol. “I think he was remarkable last year. He was the starting quarterback, point
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Glory Days file photo/Sully
Joe Repetti, a 2021 Ocean City High graduate, was the leader of the Red Raiders’ football, basketball and baseball teams as a quarterback, point guard and catcher. guard and catcher for three really successful teams. It hasn’t surprised me at all with the reports out of Muhlenberg (College) that he’s doing really well. You don’t get kids like that a lot,” Smith said. “You just never felt like you were out of a game with him. We got down to Mainland, we got down to Long Branch, we got down to St. Joe and came back and won all three of those games, and a lot of that had to do with the fact that Joe never panics.” “We have some really good pitchers
coming back (in 2022) and some good JV guys who are going to come up, but I always tell everybody the key is the catcher. That’s the biggest position we have to fill because he was the glue to that. He was so solid. I don’t think he let a ball get by him in the playoffs. He went through a spell where he was down a little bit — I think he was just tired from everything — but then he started throwing runners out again and playing really solid defensively. And he’s such a calming presence
back there,” said Bristol, who switched Repetti from shortstop to catcher because he needed his best athlete behind the plate. “You won’t see a lot of emotion out of him one way or the other. He was the same way whether he was winning or losing. That tone never changed, so he could settle guys down. He was a different kind of leader. He wasn’t going to get in your face and
See Repetti, page 21
Sept. 17, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 21 Repetti, from page 20 scream at you, he was just going to lead by example. He was always on time, he never missed anything, he stayed late.” In typical Joe Repetti fashion, he credits all the people around him with his success. “My career at Ocean City set me up for the future. I met a lot of good people, had a lot of good teachers and coaches and they all had my best interests at heart,” he said. “Now, here at college, I’m doing many of the same things and I’m prepared in a way that I wouldn’t be at many other schools, and I’m grateful for that.” Repetti’s name became synonymous with winning during his time at Ocean City, particularly his final two years. He led the football team to a 15-5 record during that time, including a trip to the sectional championship game; in basketball the Red Raiders went 25-11 the past two years, and after losing his junior baseball season to Covid-19, all he did as a senior was lead Ocean City to the first state championship in program history. What made Repetti so much more valuable than the average high school athlete and able to lead his teams to so many wins? His ability to handle pressure. “In those pressure situations you just have to try to block out all the noise and focus on doing the one job you have to do each and every play. You have to block out the noise, block out the crowd and just do your job to the best of your ability, and things will fall into place how they need to,” Repetti said. “The toughest thing for me (in football) was probably learning the playbook. Once that started clicking and I was getting on the field and making reads in real time, everything just started to fall into place. Everything came to me — I wouldn’t say naturally, but I had great coaches around me to help me read defenses when I needed to and make the plays as they needed to be made.” That was Repetti’s philosophy throughout his high school career — just make the plays you’re supposed to make. He did that, and much more, during the baseball team’s win over Pascack Valley in this spring’s Group 3 title game. He caught all 14 innings in 95-plus-degree heat, not letting a single ball get past him. “I never saw him in the dugout, he never said a word, never complained about the heat,” Bristol said. “But looking back, I found out how he was being iced down in there and all that. If I can get half of a kid like that, I’m good. He’s right up there with the best kids I’ve ever coached.” All those games, all those practices for three sports — Repetti literally never had a break all year long. But, he said he never really needed one. “It didn’t really phase me much. During school I was always looking forward to getting to practices or
Glory Days file photo/Sully
Repetti had a solid baseball career and this past spring helped lead Ocean City to the first state championship in program history. games after school. That made me want to keep pushing every day to get through school and get my work done, then let loose on the football field, basketball court or baseball field, whatever it may be,” he said. “I never really felt worn down. There were some late nights coming home from a late football practice or something like that and having a decent amount of homework, but I never really felt worn down. I always felt grateful to play those three sports and be around the people I was with.” He’s already making an impression at Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pa., where no doubt he’ll spend the next four years making more memories. It’s going to be tough to top finishing his high school career as a state champion, though. “I think my high school career set me up for the future. I had a lot of great experiences and I’m very thankful to be put into the spots I was to accomplish the things I did with the people around me,” Repetti said. “Those are memories that are going to last me a lifetime. There’s a lot I’ll be able to tell my kids and grandkids.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
“I think he was remarkable last year. He was the starting quarterback, point guard and catcher for three really successful teams. It hasn’t surprised me at all with the reports out of Muhlenberg (College) that he’s doing really well. You don’t get kids like that a lot.” Kevin Smith Ocean City football coach
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BOYS SPORTS 2021 SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
c.j. egrie/holy spirit/football, baseball
Relentless work ethic By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer hen C.J. Egrie began his high school career at Holy Spirit four years ago, most people probably would mistake him for the football team’s ball boy. As a freshman, he was maybe better than 5 feet tall (with his cleats on) and could tip the scales at 100 pounds if he put a few rocks in his pockets. There was no indication then that Egrie would grow, in four years, to become one of the top defensive backs in South Jersey in football and a dynamic leadoff man for the Spartans’ baseball team. If somebody would have told you back then that the tiny little freshman who looked like he was about 11 years old would one day lead both Spirit programs to state championships you’d have spit out your snack stand coffee. But for years Egrie worked on his body, building muscle, strength, speed and agility, and he worked just as hard in the classroom. Glory Days Magazine’s Boys Sports Scholar Athlete of the Year for 2021 wasn’t one of those whiz kids who won multiple spelling bees as a child or was taking advanced chemistry freshman year. He was smart, sure, but just like in sports he had to work his tail off in the classroom, and eventually ended up as one of the top students in the school. His resume was so impressive that he earned admittance into the Phillips Academy, a prestigious post-graduate school in Andover, Mass. Only about 13 percent of the roughly 3,000 who apply each year get in. Egrie said he plans to do a year there before enrolling at Holy Cross to continue his baseball career. “I knew coming into Holy Spirit that
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Glory Days file photo/Sully
During his varsity career, C.J. Egrie helped lead both Holy Spirit’s football and baseball teams to state championships while maintaining a 3.8 GPA. it was the right fit out of the gate with the strong family connection throughout the school. I didn’t know (my career) would take off the way it did. I knew I needed to get bigger and stronger to reach the goals that I wanted. At the first weigh-in for Holy Spirit’s football camp, I knew I needed to hit the weight room hard. I believe I was 5-feet tall and 99 pounds. I was what you’d call a very small person. I always knew I had the potential to be a good player but I had to get out on the field and just do my thing. It wasn’t a matter of skill, I just needed to get onto the field, and junior year was the year for me,” said Egrie, a Brigantine resident. “There are a multitude of factors that go into (succeeding at the varsity level) but I would say the biggest is getting your body in shape. It’s
a whole different ball game when you are going from JV anything to varsity anything. I remember going up against, on JV, guys who were my height and my weight, but then all of a sudden a few games into the season I’m facing a 6-foot-3 Penn State commit and it was just a whole different ball game. So, getting myself in shape and getting bigger was one of the primary reasons I was successful.” Like Egrie said, junior year is when it all started coming together for him. He grew in height and weight and got to the point where he could compete at the varsity level. As a starting cornerback opposite of Devin Lee, Egrie helped anchor a defense that allowed Holy Spirit to go 8-4 and win a NonPublic B state championship. The Spartans scored a 38-0 shutout over rival
St. Joseph of Hammonton in the title game. And after losing his junior baseball season to the Covid-19 pandemic, Egrie had a tremendous senior season this past spring, leading the Spartans to 19 wins and a Non-Public B title. He finished with 29 hits, 15 RBIs, 34 runs, seven doubles, 16 walks, 17 stolen bases and batted .360. He also finished his high school career with a 3.8 GPA. “When you get to high school it’s a whole different work load. It’s just time management. I feel that’s the one thing everyone underestimates. If you can plan out your day, step-by-step, that’s a huge advantage. I would come home from football practice at 5 p.m., go to speed and agility training from 6-to-8 and then I’m not getting my
See Egrie, page 23
Sept. 17, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 23 Egrie, from page 22 studies done until about 10 p.m. By then, I’m just exhausted from everything. I needed to work on my time management, and by junior year I really focused on that because the SATs were coming up. That was something I really needed to work on, so I hit the books hard and ended up with an A average the rest of my high school career,” Egrie said. “Separating the books from the field was the biggest challenge. I didn’t have difficulty getting the work done in school, it was more of could I keep up with it because I had so much on my plate, from recruitment to football to baseball. And on top of that I was trying to maintain the GPA that I had. My final GPA was about a 3.8.” Egrie said one of his biggest mentors was his former teammate, running back E’lijah Gray, one of the biggest Spartans stars of the past decade, and another little guy. Gray is only about 5-foot-7. “I just wanted to show to the next class at Holy Spirit — or anywhere in South Jersey, for that matter — that it doesn’t matter how tall you are or how much you weigh, what you look like, as long as you can compete and play, you can do whatever you put your mind to. As long as you have that work ethic
“There are a multitude of factors that go into (succeeding at the varsity level) but I would say the biggest is getting your body in shape. It’s a whole different ball game when you are going from JV anything to varsity anything.”
C.J. Egrie Holy Spirit Class of 2021
and that determination to get it done,” Egrie said. “I definitely took after some of the bigger names to come out of this school, like E’lijah Gray. I give him a huge amount of credit. I based what I wanted to be as a person and a player — right out of the gate I wanted to be like him. He was not the biggest guy but he played like he was 6-foot-5. He’s an amazing person and amazing leader and I just strived to be that.” Egrie won’t have a lot of time this fall north of Boston to reflect on his high school career, as he’ll be busy playing both football and baseball at Phillips Academy. But in the moments he’s had this summer to think back about all he’s accomplished, surprisingly, sports are second on the list. “Shockingly, my biggest memory of high school
now is what my grades were,” he said. “I wasn’t the smartest kid — I wasn’t even close to being the smartest kid coming into high school — but what I held the highest was my grades. Grades come first. It doesn’t matter if you’re the greatest player on Earth, if you can’t keep up with the books it’s not going to look good for your future. So, I definitely put my grades right up there. But there are a few state championships I’d put just below that. I got a couple rings. To add on a state championship in baseball was a great way to end my high school career.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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GIRLS SPORTS 2021 SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Jayla mCnamara/absegami/soccer, basketball, lacrosse
Challenge accepted Go ahead and try to tell Jayla McNamara that something can’t be done By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer uring her four-year varsity career in three sports, Absegami’s Jayla McNamara was never named All-South Jersey. Never was she named a newspaper’s Player of the Year, nor did she have a big feature article written up about her career. But ask any high school coach — in any sport — and they tell you that if you give them a team full of Jayla McNamaras, they’ll find a way to win a bunch of ball games. A gymnast by trade, McNamara had relatively little experience in soccer, basketball or lacrosse before entering Absegami, and just wanted to play sports to stay in shape and have some fun. But she’s also never shied away from a challenge. Her father knows that first hand. He once told a story to a pint-sized Jayla about a friend of his who never missed a day of school in his life. Jayla, a first-grader at the time, said she could reach the same goal — and 12 years later, she still hasn’t missed a day. “The only day I technically missed — which was excused — was for my interview for the Coast Guard Academy, but I still showed up to my classes by logging in online,” said McNamara, Glory Days Magazine’s 2021 Girls Sports Scholar Athlete of the Year. “My father told me a story when I was in first grade about a friend of his who never missed a day of school, and I told him I would do that. He told me, ‘Jayla, it’s OK, you don’t have to do that.’ And that made me mad — I don’t know why, but I just wanted to prove him wrong. And I did it. I don’t know how, but I did it.” “She was into everything. The thing I’m most impressed with is the kid never missed a day of school, from kindergarten through high school. I mean, her accomplishments speak for themselves. She’s a great kid,” said Absegami girls basketball coach Bobby Lasko. McNamara currently is at Marion Military Institute in Marion, Alabama, a proving ground for cadets who want to earn entry into one of the service academies, or pursue military or civilian careers through
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Glory Days file photo/Sully
During her career at Absegami, Jayla McNamara, a 2021 graduate, played three sports, was the student body president and had a 4.0 grade-point-average. the four-year college route. McNamara is intent on earning her way into the United State Coast Guard Academy after a 10-month stint in Alabama. “I’m in the Coast Guard Academy Scholars Program, and what that means is I applied to the Coast Guard Academy and they appointed me with their Scholars Program, which is basically a prep school year, so I’ll be at this school for about 10 months. They sent me here to better myself before I get to the academy,” she said. “They liked most of the qualities
I had — maybe they thought I needed a little more work in a specific subject. It’s an amazing option. I went through a basic training period in the summer and after the swearing in ceremony I’m considered an E-2. “I kind of knew I wanted to join a service. My mom is from the Philippines and she had a big impact on
See Jayla, page 25
Sept. 17, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 25 Jayla, from page 24 me. She moved here when she was 27 and didn’t exactly have an easy lifestyle back there. So I’m very thankful for everything that I’ve been provided in this country.” Even though she didn’t have a ton of experience at the sports she played, she nevertheless made a lasting impression on those programs and work her way into a starting role in all three sports by the time she was an upperclassman. “I didn’t really play soccer, basketball or lacrosse growing up,” she explained. “I started playing soccer in seventh grade. I was a competitive gymnast from ages 5 to 12 but it just got to be too much on my family to continue that. I knew I was somewhat athletic and I could hold my ground in those other sports. I wasn’t expecting much (in high school), I just wanted to stay in shape and I liked the team atmosphere, and being part of something bigger than myself.” She took on the challenge of getting better every year at all three sports, and — even more importantly — as she got older she became a very important role model to the younger athletes in all those programs. “Honestly, that’s one of the best feelings ever. I loved showing the younger girls work ethic and showing them that no matter what your skill level is, if you are willing to work hard you can get something out of the sport,” McNamara said. “My first year, I didn’t even know who she was. She was on JV and I had to bring a kid up, and she’s out there playing defense against the varsity and yelling at people to get in their spots. I said, ‘I’m going to take her,’ and by the end of the season she was getting about 10 minutes per game on varsity and played in the state tournament. She’s got a big heart,” Lasko said. “The cool thing about her was she didn’t just get it done on the court, she had straight A’s in the classroom, was in study hall helping kids get their grades up — she was doing everything. And there aren’t many kids who average less than 10 points a game who can be a role model for kids in grade school. Hers is a really cool story.” For all the respect McNamara earned on the court and fields she played on, her prowess in the classroom was unmatched. A 4.0 student, all you have to do is take one look at her resume to realize she was far above the normal high school student. Magna Cum Laude, perfect attendance, accepted into the Coast Guard
Academy’s Introduction Mission Program, accepted into the Academy’s Scholars Program — along with acceptance into six other universities; Congress of Future Medical Leaders, Girls State, Distinguished Varsity Scholar, National Honors Society, Spanish Honors Society, Student Body President, Absegami’s Gilda’s Club member, freshman transition leader, school safety program — the list is seemingly endless. Oh, and she just happened to be a team captain for basketball and lacrosse her senior year. McNamara truly was one of Absegami’s most well-rounded and important students the past four years. It took a lot of doing — she somehow found time to fit in 120-plus volunteer hours and worked two jobs — but she said it was all worth it. “It’s a matter of wanting to get it done. Time management was very difficult because I was involved with about 20 things at once, but I think that develops character. Being able to talk to different types of people — I was able to work with so many different people, and that was a really good experience,” McNamara said. “I love that school. I would never trade Absegami for anything. The teachers they have are amazing, the programs they have are amazing and they are so involved with the students. Being involved in the homeland security magnet was one of the best things I ever did. It was an amazing experience. Freshman year we got to go to the 9/11 memorial (in New York City). Most freshmen aren’t very mature, but on that day you definitely saw a switch. We became adults that day, and that was a great experience.” So, what is next for a young woman who has accomplished so much already? To accomplish much more, of course. “I’m hoping to get appointed (to the Coast Guard Academy) this year, as long as my GPA is above 2.5. I had a 4.0 in high school, but the work load here is definitely intense,” she said. “I hope to major in government and I want to specialize in international affairs. I’ve been looking into flight school, but that’s not something I want to do right out of the academy. I’d also like to go to law school at some point. But international affairs has always been interesting to me, with my mom being from the Philippines, I’ve always wanted to help people better their nations and better themselves.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
Last winter, McNamara helped lead Absegami’s girls basketball team to a 10-1 record in a Covid-shortened season, including six straight wins to finish the year. Glory Days file photo/Sully
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2021 GAME OF THE YEAR baseball/group 3 championship/ocean city vs. pascack valley
A grueling test of mental toughness Raiders had to work long and hard to secure first state title By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer t was one of those days where you could just feel the sun burning your skin as you stood in place. Early June, Mercer County, heading toward high noon and a summer sun that seemed angry it had been cooped up the past few months. Not exactly ideal conditions to be playing 14 innings of baseball. But that’s what it took for the Ocean City baseball team to secure the first state championship in program history — the equivalent of two high school games. The Red Raiders seemed to have everything lined up perfectly. They had ace Gannon Brady ready to go, he of the dominating victory over rival Mainland Regional in the sectional final the weekend before. And head coach Andrew Bristol had all kinds of other pitching in reserve — Matt Nunan, a Boston College commit, Duke McCarron, a University of Maryland commit, as well as Tom Finnegan, who originally committed to Vanderbilt when he was just a freshman and who had thrown a gem against Colts Neck in the Group 3 semifinals. All the Raiders needed was a couple of runs in support of Brady and Bristol was confident his team could pull out a victory. Well, those couple of runs proved to be quite a challenge to come by.
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Pascack Valley, a team that came into the state championship with 24 wins, matched Ocean City inning for inning. The Red Raiders scored a run in the top of the first, Pascack Valley answered in the bottom of the first. That same scenario played out in the sixth, and when the seventh went by without a run from either team, it looked more and more like the Glory Days Magazine Game of the Year was going to take a lot longer than originally anticipated. Both bullpens were forced to toss eight innings — longer than the originally schedule seven, and Pascack Valley’s Cole Porter, the eventual losing pitcher, twirled 99 pitches in relief and allowed just three hits. Nunan and McCarron were just as good for Ocean City, combining to limit Pascack Valley to just one hit while striking out six in eight innings of work. “That game was one of the most brutal sporting events I’ve ever been a part of. Every inning we went on it just seemed like the game was never going to end. It seemed like nobody was going to be able to score a run. Our parents kept going to the snack stand to get us drinks and bring them back to the dugout. It was an unreal feeling, and to finish it the way we did — especially with that being the last game of my high school career — it was just an outstanding feeling and moment to have,” said senior catcher Joe Repetti. “Everybody was on edge the entire
Glory Days file photo/Sully
Ocean City baseball coach Andrew Bristol hugs senior third baseman Jack Perry following the Red Raiders’ win over Pascack Valley in the Group 3 state championship game in June. game, on their feet right up against the fence. We knew that with one minor mishap the game could be over, so everybody, collectively, tried to lock in as best we could. I was trying to calm everybody down, especially the pitchers, and just trying to keep everybody locked in. We were just trying to make plays as they needed to be made and the outcome happened to fall in our favor.” “It was like an encapsulation of everything we talked about with handling adversity. That game — you had to be able to handle the all the elements, handle all the pressure. That was like a microcosm of our season. I kept thinking to myself, ‘I’m going to lose this game because I lost a coin flip for the home team.’ As it kept going I was like, ‘there’s no way we’re going to keep dodging these bullets.’ You think about those last three innings, Joe picked a kid off third, there was a line drive double play to (Jack) Perry and then the double play to end the game. I guess
it was just meant to be,” Bristol added. “We had talked about it, how we would handle an extra innings situation. Some people wanted me to go to Duke before Nunan, but I thought Nunan had such a great practice the Wednesday before, where he pitched live and was great.” The game needed a hero, and the longer it went on the more likely it was going to be somebody that casual South Jersey baseball fans had never heard of. Enter Jack Perry, Ocean City’s senior third baseman. In the top of the 14, shortstop James Mancini led off with a walk, took second on a wild pitch and found his way to third before Perry — who had an RBI double in the sixth — laid down a perfect bunt single to plate Mancini with the eventual winning run in Ocean City’s 3-2 victory. The game ended in the bottom of the 14th when second baseman Ben Hoag turned a 4-3 double play.
See Toughness, page 27
Sept. 17, 2021 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 27 Toughness, from page 26 “It’s unbelievable. I can’t even describe this feeling. It hasn’t set in yet. It’s awesome. I was nervous, and just trying to stay confident. I didn’t have the best season, but that didn’t matter (in that moment). All that matters is I came to play today, and did my job. Our team fought hard, it was such a long game, the pitching was solid, as always, and it feels great to come out on top,” Perry said immediately after the game, which fell on Father’s Day. “Toward the end it became all mental. All of us were physically dead, but it was 100 percent mental. It was a long fight, but it worked out for the best for us. This was always the main goal. We always knew we had the talent, we just had to put it together, work hard as a team. Coach Bristol and this great coaching staff led us through this.” “It was a game where you think you have to do something to manufacture a run,” Bristol said. “I thought if we could get a leadoff guy on like we did that inning, we could do something. Mancini led off with a walk and we were going to bunt him over but the ball got by the catcher and the next thing you know he’s on third base. I knew we’d still have to manufacture a run though. We weren’t going to be able to hit our way through that.” It was an emotionally uplifting finish to a season that began with the Red Raiders losing five of their first 13 games and searching for an identity. “Everyone once in a while I’ll sit and think to myself that we really won a state title. That’s something you always want as a program but you never know if it will ever happen. But it happened, and we were fortunate enough to be in the right position, and have the breaks go our way, have the right kind of talent,” Bristol said. “One of the things that helped is we have nine incredible coaches, so we’re able to focus on so many little things in practice that a lot of teams can’t. It was a great run.” Added Repetti, “That was a really surreal feeling. That was a perfect way to put an end to the great careers that we all had as students at Ocean City. I couldn’t have asked for a better ending. It was a fairy tale.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sullyglorydays@gmail.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays