Sports
Ocean City Boys and Girls Win CAL Cross-Country Titles
The boys' team edges Pleasantville, while the girls dominate.
The girls' cross-country team is clearly the best in the Cape-Atlantic League.
The Red Raiders boys are also on top after a narrow victory over a strong Pleasantville team.
Ocean City swept the CAL Cross-Country Championships, winning the boys' and girls' titles Thursday at Richard Stockton College of New Jersey.
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While the girls (67 points) outscored second-place Millville by 58 points, the boys edged Pleasantville, 59-60.
It was the fourth straight CAL title for the boys.
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"In our coaching time, we had a few one-point meets, but it has been a while, and never with a major championship on the line," Ocean City coach Matt Purdue said.
Kevin Scott's first-place win was important to the Red Raiders' victory, but so was the finish of every Ocean City runner in a meet that was decided by seconds.
Scott finished the race in 15 minutes, 16.33 seconds finishing in front of Pleasantville's Jacob (15:24.58) and Isaac Clark (15:28.58), who took second and third, respectively.
"Kevin's time was just incredible," said Purdue. "To have that time on that course is impressive."
The Greyhounds' Dagoberto Aria (16:08.62) came in 10th, giving Pleasantville three runners in the Top 10, however, the Red Raiders depth took over.
Ocean City's David Gilhooley (16:09.25) was 11th, Louis Paone (16:12.05) came in 12th place, Dan Murray (16:20.14) finished 15th and Eddie Keenan (16:32.88) was 20th, all coming across the finish line before the fourth Greyhound runner.
Keenan edged out Pleasantville's Radcliffe Narinensingh by .34 seconds for 20th place. A change in position and it would have been the Greyhounds walking off with the win.
"It was a one-point meet, and if you look at the results it was more like a one-second meet," Purdue said.
The same can't be said about the girls who cruised past their competition.
Mary Kate Brelsford took third (18:39.82) and teammate Kelly Williamson (19:17.14) was seventh. Ocean City was one of two teams with two girls in the Top 10, but the only one with two in the top seven.
Kaylie Gallagher (19:55.57) finished in 13th, Rachel Stremme (19:59.40) was 16th and Maddy Brady (20:44.77) was 28th.
Hammonton’s Christin Bettis (17:32.96) won the girls title, 59.35 seconds ahead of Egg Harbor Township's Abigail Shafer.
