Sports
Ocean City vs. Pleasantville Among Oldest Rivalries in the Area
The Red Raiders host Ocean City on Thanksgiving morning to continue a tradition that started in 1917.
The traditional and Pleasantville High School football game is special to many in those communities, but in 2011, the long rivalry is often overlooked.
However, it is among the best Thanksgiving Day rivalries in the region.
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The two teams meet 10 a.m. Thursday at Ocean City’s Carey Stadium.
"It used to be a really big game," Ocean City coach Kevin Smith said.
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"Both programs have been down the last few years, but I remember when Mark Impagliazzo was a junior when Ocean City and Pleasantville played for the conference championship. Then we played in the playoffs that week. I remember for both teams those were the biggest games back then."
There are other Thanksgiving traditions in the Cape-Atlantic League that get more attention.
There is Vineland-Millville, which is among the longest rivalries in the country. Atlantic City and Holy Spirit has the natural parochial and public school rivalry built in and once shared the same city. Hammonton and St. Joseph have been playing for 50 years, are only 2.3 miles away from each other and are both among the most successful programs in South Jersey.
Those programs are rivals and not just because of Thanksgiving Day.
"Pleasantville is not our biggest rival," Ocean City senior Bob DeLuce said. "That's why it is under-hyped. But it's a tradition."
The game still means plenty to alumni of Ocean City and Pleasantville. There is plenty of history involved when these two teams meet.
It is the second-longest Thanksgiving Day rivalry in the CAL. The two teams first met in 1917. Although the two programs haven't played every year since, they have met on the gridiron 90 times.
Ocean City has won four straight meetings to take a 44-40-6 lead in the all-time series. The Red Raiders beat the Greyhounds, 34-15, last year.
The Red Raiders may consider the Mainland Regional Mustangs their main rivals, and Pleasantville may look at Holy Spirit and Atlantic City as rival schools, but there was a time when Ocean City-Pleasantville was the rivalry.
That was before Mainland Regional even existed. Linwood and Somers Point students attended Ocean City, while Northfield students went to Pleasantville.
"It's nice to be part of a long-standing tradition," Smith said "There are deep roots and you feel more connected. It's nice to have.”
