By TOM WILLIAMS If the Cape-Atlantic League was ever to form a Hall of Fame, Jim Schafer would have to be under consideration to be among the first inductees. Jim, who died last week, was a three-sport star at Egg Harbor City High School, one of the original CAL schools. They had no gym and he often talked about frequently practicing basketball outside. He went on to success at Glassboro State College (now Rowan University) and played semi-pro football. He then returned to the CAL at Mainland Regional High School where he was an assistant coach in many sports before becoming head coach in thre ..read more

By TOM WILLIAMS A dozen boys have been selected as finalists for the Billy Schoppy Award, presented to the athlete from the Cape-Atlantic League Class of 2024 who had the most outstanding high school sports career. The awards originated in 2001 with Jason Kaye of The Flagship Resort in Atlantic City sponsoring them. In 2012, Dave Talarico and Schoppy’s, the area’s finest trophy and award creator, became the sponsor. And in 2017 the award was changed to The Billy Schoppy Award as a memorial to the son of William Schoppy, who created the business 1921. This year’s 12 finalists are from six diffe ..read more

By TOM WILLIAMS A dozen girls have been selected as finalists for the Billy Schoppy Award, presented to the athlete from the Cape-Atlantic League Class of 2024 who had the most outstanding high school sports career. The awards originated in 2001 with Jason Kaye of The Flagship Resort in Atlantic City sponsoring them. In 2012, Dave Talarico and Schoppy’s, the area’s finest trophy and award creator, became the sponsor. And in 2017 the award was changed to The Billy Schoppy Award as a memorial to the son of William Schoppy, who created the business 1921. This year’s 12 finalists are from nine dif ..read more

By TOM WILLIAMS The Cape-Atlantic sports community got a terrible jolt over the weekend with news of the death of Frank Campo. A football star and wrestler at Penns Grove High School, Campo was one of the top scorers in the state in football. He wrestled at Eastern Kentucky University and eventually ended up at Atlantic City High School, where he taught and coached before becoming the school’s athletics director. Here are the thoughts and memories of Campo from some people you probably know. Mike Gatley (Mainland AD): “Where to begin. Our first-time meeting at Atlantic City High School in 198 ..read more

The 21st All Star Saturday will be held Saturday (March 16) in the Dixie Howell Gymnasium at Ocean City High School. The top seniors from Cape-Atlantic League basketball teams will wear their uniforms one last time when they pair off in a doubleheader starting at 4pm. The Calvi Electric Girls Classic will tip off at 4 and the Dixie Howell Memorial Boys Classic will follow at 6pm. A dozen players who scored more than 1,000 career points will see action. There will be three-point shootouts for both the boys & girls. The teams are coached by the coaches whose teams reached the semifinals of t ..read more

By TOM WILLIAMS The NJSIAA basketball tournaments ended over the weekend and Mainland became the 19th Cape-Atlantic League team to win a state girls championship. Scott Betson, who also won a state title in 2019, is the seventh CAL girls coach to win more than one state championship. Wildwood’s Dave Troiano leads that group with four and the rest of them also have two – Steve DiPatri, Steve Ottenberg, Joe Fussner, Gary Barber and Greg Goodwin. Betson and Middle Township’s John Leahy each won a third South Jersey title, ranking among the top 10 CAL coaches on a list that is led by Ocean City’s ..read more

By TOM WILLIAMS There has never been a boys basketball season at Ocean City High School like the one that ended on Saturday. Not in the 90 years since Hirsh Shiding scored 6.8 points per game to lead Von Henroid’s team to a 9-7 record in 1934. The 2023-24 Raiders wrote their names into the record books again and again. They won their first seven games of the season and, in January, they shot 66.0 percent in a 57-41 win at Egg Harbor Township. That broke a record (64.9 percent) set 62 years earlier against Hammonton by Dixie Howell’s team led by Jerry Fadden and Dave Farina. They won a record 2 ..read more

By TOM WILLIAMS There must be something in the water in Linwood. Mainland’s sports program is flourishing. The football team captured the imagination of the state in winning Group 4 with a record 14 victories. The girls basketball team won the Cape-Atlantic League Tournament and is the favorite in NJSIAA Group 3 South. The boys basketball team is the top seed in Group 3 and finished second in the CAL Tournament. There is also success in cross country, swimming, baseball and other sports, Mainland has had championship teams in sports throughout its 63-year history. A couple of them have been in ..read more

By TOM WILLIAMS A Raider Nation group was part of Ocean City’s boys basketball win over Mainland in Linwood Monday. And they were there – wearing white tee shirts – last night when John Bruno’s team played Cedar Creek. This is an important time for Raider Nation. The Ocean City teams have played all season to get home court advantage in the Cape-Atlantic League and NJSIAA Tournaments. And Raider Nation is part of that home court advantage. There are lots of big challenges coming up. The boys basketball team plays Williamstown tomorrow afternoon and senior Kori Segich needs 31 points points to ..read more

Back in 1996 at Egg Harbor Township High School, the Prime Events Girls Shootout set the stage for showcase events in girls basketball. This weekend The Shootout will take place for the 27th time at Ocean City High School. Through the years some great teams and talented players have participated. You can see photos of some of the great players – from Sue Bird through Kylee Watson – plus the history of the event, HERE. This weekend there are some special stories. The 2024 Shootout includes the only undefeated team in South Jersey, the leading scorer in the state and a team that set a state thre ..read more