sports:

on the mark by Mark Maltern

Raiders Clinch Tie For Football Title

It was South Jersey's best offense against an improved defensive front. In an other wards, it was undefeated Vineland against Ocean City in high school football. When all was said and done. Ocean City had a 7-0 win and at least a tie for first place in the CAL I. The game was played before a full house in Ocean City add ^running back Frank Sayers didn't disappoint the crowd. Sayers rushed for 128 yards on 28 carries including the only touchdown late in the first quarter. * NOW, HOW AEfOUT that Raider defense? It worked hard all morning, holding the Clan to just 54 yards total offense. The real test came in the third quarter, when Vineland recovered a fumble on the Ocean City 13-yard line. At that point, the Raider defense gave no ground. In fact, it moved Vineland back six yards before a field goal attempt sailed wide to right. Ocean City "finished league play with a 7-1 record. Holy Spirit and " Vineland can force a tie for first with wins next week Ocean City's only setback came on the first week of the season against Holy "Spirit, 9-7. Quarterback Rob Hicks had a pretty good day against Oakcrest; but Middle Township came up on the losing end of a 29-18

score. Hicks threw two touchdown passes to Jim Edwards who was also responsible for the other score, going over on a twoyard run. Hicks' TD passes covered 20 and 76 yards. IN OTHER ACTION. Wildwood continued to have its problems while Lower Cape May came up with an interdivisional victory. Wildwood traveled to Absegami Saturday and played a good game for two-plus quarters before the Braves exploded for 13 third-quarter points in a 20-0 win. Trailing 13-0 in the fourth period, Absegami pulled off a 55-yard halfback option pass for a touchdown to ice the contest. LOWER CAPE MAY also had a road game and made the best of the situation at Bader Field in Atlantic City. The Capers used a two-point conversion on their second score to slip past A.C., 14-13. MIKE WING got the scoring under way for Lower with a 42-yard interception return. Later * Bruce Fourier hauled in a 71-yard scoring bomb to pull Lower within one point at 13-12. On the extra point try. Lower went to running back Wing and he converted to provide the Capers with the winning margin. It has been a very good year for soccer here in

Cape May County. Three different schools made it into post-season play: Wildwood Catholic, Ocean City and Lower Cape May but their luck ran out last week. Wildwood Catholic made it to the South Jersey championship game in its first playoff appearance since the program began just five years ago. The Crusaders went against Mater Dei of New Manmouth in the title tilt, losing to the long-time soccer power by a close 1-0 score. WILDWOOD CATHOLIC goalie Chris McCurdy played with badly bruised ribs and kept the Crusaders in the contest before yielding the lone goal at the eight-minute mark of the fourth period. On the scoring play, McCurdy left the contest with pain caused by' a leaping attempt to stop the shot. McCurdy returned shortly after that to make sure Wildwood Catholic stayed in the game. Throughout the second period, Mater Dei stayed in - the Crusader end, and the constant pressure kept Catholic from gaining many scoring opportunities. Wildwood Catholic finished the season with a 14-4-3 record, a far cry from the team that finished dead last just a few years ago. Another goalie did his best to keep his team close, but Lower Cape May's Bill Sheets didn't get any offen-

sive support in a 2-0 loss to Willingboro. The game to decide the South Jersey Group III quarterfinal winner was decided early as Willingboro's C.J. Desopo beat Sheets on break-away. Lower's best scoring chance came in the second quarter as Caper Rob Elwell got a break away of his own. Elwell tried to make his move, but the ball , went straight into the Willingboro goalie. LOWER CAPE MAY finished the year with a 13-3-2 slate and also is the proud owners of the Cape Atlantic League Division II title. In other Group III action, Ocean City played its best but came up just short, losing to Egg Harbor Township in a shootout, 7 to 5. At the end of regulation the scored was knotted 0-0. With the score still tied at the end of overtime, a shootout followed with EHT scoring two more penalty kicks than the Red Raiders. Scoring for Ocean City were Don Delia Porta, Chris W'helan, Bill Gallagher, Estabon Simone and Brendan Gallagher. Ocean City finished the campaign with a 10 and 9 record. THE BEST CROSS country runners from the entire state of New Jersey got together over the weekend for the State's meet at Holmdel State Park.

Ocean City runner Mary Jo Dougherty, only a freshman, placed 11th for Group III runners with a time of 20:14. Dougherty's good finish also vaulted the girls team into a 11th place finish. The Ocean City boys finished in the 16th spot as Mike Grant was thefop local runner. Grant covered the course in 17 minutes and 55 seconds, good for 30th place. REMARKS: What do the Philadelphia Eagles have to do to win? A blocked extra point, the first of the year, cost them

a tie against Miami and a chance to pull off their biggest upset of the year. The Eagles did play well enough to win'. Some kind of jinx must be following them. As they say, ON ANY GIVEN DAY f Larry Bird and Julius Erving fighting. What is /* this world coming to? Witho only one referee working the game due to an injury, things got out of hand at the Boston Garden last week as the Sixers and Celtics squared off, literally. When the circus comes to the Spectrum, look for more of the same.

Campers Win 4 Over Potter

CAPE MAY - Whippoorwill Campground defeated Potter in four straight, 15-12, 15-11, 15-2 and 15-6 in men's power volleyball. Bill Holt and Tom Swenk set flawlessly to the powerful tandem of Stick Farragher and Greg Schultz as they controlled the net play for Campground. Faunce Enterprises and Lighting Dimensions split an exciting match as Lighting Dimensions took games one and two. Faunce then rebounded to seal games three and four as Dexter Faunce, Andy Butler and Jack Castello were unstoppable. The early Lighting Dimensions successes

were ignited by the all around play of "Tightwad" Ted Ferrante, Pete Kakoyannis and John Wilsey. Volleyball Tilt CAPE MAY - In area volleyball action this week, the Cape May Men's Power League champs Lighting Dimensions are pitted against- rival Faunce Enterprises, 7:30 tonight at the elementary school gym on Lafayette Street. All volleyball fans are welcome to attend.

THANK YOU TO THE VOTERS OF LOWER TOWNSHIP, AV^LON, STONE HARBOR, & SEA ISLE CITY We appreciate your overwhelming support in our efforts to allow your police officers to obtain the same retirement benefits already available to other New Jersey Law fynfprcemeiit Officers. Your strong support on Nov. 6th showed us that you are sincerely interested in your police departments and we pledge our continued efforts to make our communities a better a.id safer place to live & work. OFFICERS & MEMBERS OF P.B.A. LOCAL 59 — ^ : ; — : 1 — e •