Zauck Leading By Example

A day later and the performance is still as impressive as it was Friday night.

Ocean City High School's Nick Zauck picked off three passes, returned a fumble caused by Ben Bethea 32 yards for a touchdown and he also scored on a 72-yard run to go over the 100-yard mark.

"Tremendous on both sides of the ball," Ocean City football coach Kevin Smith said about Zauck's night. "He played with his heart. His effort was fantastic and if we have 22 players play like he did, we would be all right."

It seemed like every time Camden quarterback Tavaris Hedden put the ball up for grabs, Zauck was there to steal possession back for the Red Raiders.

All three of his interceptions came in the first half.

"They played football like backyard football," Zauck explained. "I was making my reads and being where I had to be."

Zauck didn't take much joy from his effort after the Red Raiders dropped their consolation game, 32-22, but it was a performance he and the rest of the Red Raiders should be proud of, especially since it came under tough circumstances.

Ocean City has won just once this year, but Zauck is still giving maximum effort.

Changing the culture

When Kevin Smith took over the reins of the football program he talked about how the team needed to be rebuilt.

He also spoke that the Red Raiders had to learn how to win.

At the start of the season it seemed like the Red Raiders were building toward something better even after some losses.

The defeats then were chalked up to youth and inexperience, but last night's loss is being blamed on a lack of effort and desire, which is concerning to Smith and some of the leaders on the team.

"I would characterize the problem that exists as not one of X's or O’s or scheme. The kids have to play like they love this game. They didn't play like they love this game."

Maybe it's because the toll of losses piling up is too much to take or the fact that last night's game was a consolation game with very few fans on hand.

However, neither is a good enough excuse for some players and coaches.

"You have limited opportunities to play football and you have to take advantage of every one," Smith said.

"We started out good because we were all fired up, but not everyone stays with it when it gets tough," Ocean City junior Matt Schuler said. "You have to tough it out. Even if you are losing you have to stick it out. When you are down 20 you can't think the game is over. A single play can change everything."

Schuler hopes his teammates will change their approach for the Thanksgiving Day game against Pleasantville. If not he will make sure things are different next season.

"Playing with emotion is the entire part of the game," he said. "You can't come into the game and can't have something to say for yourself. You have to have heart, emotion and you have to love the game. We just have to have a reality check. We have to look at what we have or what we thought we had and look at what is going on. We have to step up and put it in perspective.

"Coming up through the years we didn't have great teams, but we had heart and we were lead. Today we were quiet. You have to have heart and you have to step up as leaders and put the team together.”