A Look Back at the Winter Sports Season

Another winter high school sports season is officially in the books. Before we spring ahead to the action on fields of Cape May County this weekend, let’s take a look back at the memorable moments of the 2016-17 season on the courts, in the pools and on the mats. 
Ocean City Girls Basketball Title Winners
The Ocean City girls had an incredible year, finishing with a school record of 30 wins with just two losses. The top-ranked Red Raiders won the Cape-Atlantic League Championship title over Middle Township and the South Jersey Group III title over Mainland Regional this season. They made it all the way to the state final after winning in overtime to Central Group III champion Ewing. Senior Grace Sacco was a key leader for the team, averaging 8.8 points a game. She finished her high school career with 953 points. Senior teammates Alexis Paone, Rosalia Daddi and Sadie Ford were also a force for the Raiders this season. Ocean City will return many talented underclassmen in the next year to continue the legacy. 
Wildwood Boys, Girls Winning Season
The tiny high school on Pacific Avenue in Wildwood had huge seasons in girls and boys basketball. Both teams combined for a winning record of 46-12.
The Lady Warriors went 24-5 this year and became South Jersey Group I champions after defeating Haddon Township on March 7. The win marked their ninth South Jersey Group I title in school history and their first since 2008, all under head coach Dave Troiano. The McCracken sisters (senior Mackenzie and sophomore Maddie) dominated the court, posting double figures in almost every game. Mackenzie finished her high school career with 1,896 points and Maddie is well on her way to reaching the 1,000 point milestone with two more seasons with the Warriors to play.
The boys posted a 22-7 record, won a share of the Tri-County Classic Division title with Clayton and made it to the South Jersey Group I semifinals this season. The Warriors had a stretch of winning 13 straight games. Junior standout Kyion Flanders led the team (and the state) with 839 season points and reached the 1,000 career point mark early on in the season. 
Coaching Triumphs
Successful teams are led by a successful coaching staff. This season, a few local coaches reached milestones of their own.
Longtime Wildwood girls’ basketball head coach Dave Troiano celebrated coaching his 1,000^th career game on Feb. 13, making him the fourth girls’ basketball coach in the state to coach 1,000 varsity games. Troiano began his career with the Warriors in the 1977-78 season and has compiled an overall record of 682-326.
Wildwood Catholic girls’ basketball head coach Steve DiPatri won his 434^th game on Feb. 15, which is the most wins by any girls coach in the Cape-Atlantic League. Wildwood’s Troiano held the previous record of 433 wins in 24 years when the Warriors were a part of the C.A.L. DiPatri finished his fourth season with the Crusaders with an overall record of 436-114.
On the boys’ side, Wildwood’s head coach Scott McCracken earned over 100 career wins during his eight seasons with the Warriors. The team went 22-7 this season, which is the most wins McCracken has as head coach. 
Middle Township Honors a Legend
After thirty-five seasons with the Middle Township boys’ basketball team, head coach Tom Feraco stepped down in April 2016. Middle Township introduced the “Tom Feraco Court” in the beginning of 2017 with a ceremony to celebrate his legacy. Feraco led the Panthers to three state titles, nine South Jersey championship titles and a Tournament of Champions appearance (1992-93) during his time at Middle Township. He finished his career with a 719-251 record.
Anthony Farmer, former St. Augustine Prep and Rutgers basketball standout, took over the head coaching position this season, finishing with an 11-15 record. 
Thrilling Rivalry Games End in O.T.
The most talked about boys basketball game in the Cape-Atlantic League came early on in the season when Cape May Tech earned a huge 67-66 overtime win against Wildwood Catholic on Dec. 22, 2016. The Hawks led 34-20 going into halftime, but the visiting Crusaders came back in the second half to tie it up 60-60 at the end of regulation. Sophomore stand-out Josh Wright scored a game-high 22 points, including the buzzer-beater in overtime, to give the host Hawks the victory while teammate Ray Abbott added 19 points.
Other notable boys rivalry overtime games include Wildwood’s 68-66 comeback victory against Middle Township on Jan. 19, Cape May Tech’s one-point win against Lower Cape May (56-55) on Jan. 23 and Lower Cape May’s 15 point overtime quarter win (66-53) at Ocean City on Feb. 8. 
Wildwood Catholic and Middle Township Claim C.A.L. United Titles
For the fourth straight year, the Wildwood Catholic boys clinched the Cape-Atlantic League United Division title over rivals St. Joseph, Middle Township, Pleasantville, Cape May Tech and Buena Regional. The Crusaders finished their season with an overall record of 16-11.
The Wildwood Catholic and Middle Township girls’ basketball teams earned a share of the girls’ Cape-Atlantic League United Division title after finishing 11-1 in the conference. The two teams split games in the regular season. The Crusaders finished 22-5 overall and the Panthers finished 25-4 overall. 
Milestone Season for Eight Athletes
Cape May County had eight basketball players join the 1,000 career point club this season. For full story on all eight athletes, read the March 15 edition, or go online to www.cape maycountyherald.com/sports. 
Middle Township, Lower Cape May Wrestling
The Panther wrestling program went 13-12 this year, the team’s first winning record since 2013. A big win came mid-way through the season when they faced Lower Cape May and won in close dual. The 42-39 win gave the team their first victory over the rival since 2001. All but four matches were won by pins. Top Panther wrestler Gary James Nagle had an outstanding season, setting a program record of 37 wins and three losses for a single season. He won several individual championship titles, including the 160-pound District 30 Championship title on Feb. 18. Nagle became the second underclassman in Middle Township history to win at districts and the first since 1995. His teammates Rafael Rodriguez (113), Austin Cominsky (195) and Issac Lopez (220) all placed second in their weight classes.
 Lower Cape May seniors Alex Pruszinski (126) and Mike Yorio (170) were top wrestlers for the program, each with winning records under their belts. Pruszinski went 31-7 overall and became the seventh wrestler in school history to earn 100 career wins, while Yorio went 32-6 overall. Both wrestlers survived the district and region tournaments to advance to the state championships at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City earlier in March.                                
Ocean City, Middle Township Girls Swimming Make a Splash
The Ocean City girls swim team finished 10-2 on the season, won their fourth straight South Jersey Public B title and made it to the state final round of the group tournament. Top swimmers Amanda Nunan, Ryann Styer and Maggie Wallace were top finishers in the state’s Meet of Champions.
The Middle Township girls swim team finished 6-3 and made it to the South Jersey Public C semifinal. The Patel sisters (senior Khushbu and junior Urvi) were key swimmers for the Panthers, each holding multiple school records. Khushbu has records in the 100 butterfly, 200 individual medley, and the 200 and 500 freestyle races while Urvi holds the 100 breaststroke record.
For more photos and videos of these moments (and many more) from the 2016-17 winter season, go online to www.capemaycountyherald.com/sports.