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About The Cover
These days, high school sports is a year-round grind, the competition is as good as it has ever been, and players must spend months, and even years, training for the chance to be a varsity player. The varsity careers are short for most players, maybe a year or two, or three, if you’re lucky. That’s what made this spring so devastating, as the coronavirus pandemic wiped out all the spring sports. Baseball players got one final shot to play this summer in the Last Dance World Series, a statewide tournament. And a few softball teams relished their final opportunity in Vineland’s Last Out Tournament, organized by Bob Dickenson, whose two daughters play at Vineland. Click through to page 10 to see what this tournament meant to graduating seniors. Dave O’Sullivan, Publisher
GLORY DAYS 2020 General Contact Information Phone: 609-788-4294 Email: advertising@acglorydays.com Publisher Dave O’Sullivan Email: sully@acglorydays.com @GDsullysays on Twitter Contributors Amy D’Adamo, graphic design Bill Lynskey, advertising sales Mark Trible, special football writer Giuseppe Ungaro, content editor Volume 8, Issue 1. (Issue No. 150) 2020 Glory Days Magazine LLC, all rights reserved.
Story Idea? Email sully@acglorydays.com or direct message Sully on Twitter, @GDSullysays
August 20, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 5
headlines u PRESENTED BY BUNTING FAMILY PHARMACY u Throwing heat
u Mainland Regional rising senior Chase Petty has been having an incredible summer on the high school baseball showcase circuit and as a result has seen his stock in the 2021 Major League Baseball draft skyrocket. He’s already committed to the University of Florida, but he may never step on campus at Gainesville if he keeps up what he’s been doing. Petty has been clocked as high as 100 miles-per-hour this summer, and this week he showed off his electric right arm to local fans as part of Baseball Performance Center’s entry in a Perfect Game showcase at The Sandcastle in Atlantic City. Petty pitched three innings for the Oilers and mowed down just about every hitter he faced, showing off his 95+ mph fastball, wicked slider Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan and a developing change-up that has a lot of potential. We’ll have more on Petty’s meteoric Mainland Regional rising senior Chase Petty has had an incredible summer on the rise up the draft prospects chart coming up showcase circuit and has been clocked as high as 100mph with his fastball. soon at glorydaysonline.com. first title since the early 90s. Khoury revived the cisive game by twirling five innings of shutout Long-awaited title u The Atlantic County Baseball League has city’s program nine years ago and it has been a baseball. long been dominated by teams such as Mar- decent team during that stretch, but never re- Still on track? gate Hurricanes, Northfield Cardinals and ally had the pitching to compete with the big u As far as New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy is conHammonton HotShots, but this year the league dogs. This year was different, however, as Ian cerned, high school fall sports are still slated to crowned a new champion in its Covid-short- Murphy of St. John’s and former minor-league begin in late September and early October (for ened season. Ocean City, led by manager Ted pitcher and Gloucester Catholic graduate Tyler football). The final decision, however, will come Khoury, swept Absecon two-games-to-none in Mondile led the way. Former Mainland pitcher down to the NJSIAA. the best-of-3 championship series to claim its Matt Lawler, a crafty lefty, got the win in the de-
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SENIOR SPOTLIGHT:
PAT OAKES, HOLY SPIRIT BASEBALL/BASKETBALL
Pat Oakes played baseball and basketball during his career at Holy Spirit, and plans to continue his education this fall at St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia. Glory Days photos/ Dave O’Sullivan
Persistence pays off Senior Pat Oakes found success in two sports despite dealing with injuries and a pandemic By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer hen Pat Oakes got called up to the varsity baseball squad at Holy Spirit High School four years ago, he figured his career was about to take off. Little did he know at the time that there would be a lot of bumps and bruises along the way, and some serious obstacles he’d have to overcome before graduating this spring. His first two years were pretty good, he made it up to varsity late in his freshman year in baseball and was cutting his teeth on the junior varsity team
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in basketball. “My four years at Spirit were great. I started out on JV my freshman year with Pat Mullin and he was a great young coach. I got called up to varsity late in the season and got a few at-bats, which was nice,” said Oakes, a 5-foot-8, 150-pound infielder. “My sophomore, junior and senior years I started on varsity. I started out as a left fielder as a sophomore. I never hit home runs, I was more of a singles and doubles kind of guy. That was a great season, my sophomore year under (former coach Jason) Downey, it was a great group of kids and we made it pretty far in the playoffs before we lost to Immaculata.” Oakes figured after tasting success as a sophomore that the best was yet to come. But before his junior year even started he suffered a serious shoulder injury, then his senior baseball season was wiped out due to the Covid-19 pandemic. “My junior year was kind of depressing because I just was a DH all year. In the first scrimmage, against ACIT, I was leading off and playing second base.
I got a hit and when I got to first the pitcher tried to pick me off and when I dove back to the bag my (right) shoulder dislocated. It popped right back into place when I was on the ground, which was kind of weird, and I played the rest of the game. The next day we were at Timber Creek and when I threw the ball it felt like somebody had stabbed me in the shoulder. I never felt pain like that before. Coach Downey came up to me and said, ‘hey, what was up with that throw? Your throws are usually on a line.’ And I said, ‘I don’t know, I think it was from the last game.’ But even in the game I hurt it, I felt OK, I turned a couple double plays, but the next day was when it really started to hurt,” Oakes, a Mays Landing resident, explained. “So after that game against Timber Creek I went and got an x-ray and then a follow-up consultation with the doctor for the Philadelphia Eagles, and he diagnosed me with a slat tear of my labrum. It was basically a superior labrum, anterior to posterior —
See Oakes, page 7
August 20, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 7 Oakes, from page 6 like the front part of the labrum. My two options were to get surgery or just DH. I didn’t need the labrum to bat, but I couldn’t throw, so I was a DH the whole year. I didn’t get the surgery because I play basketball as well, so if I got the surgery it would have been a really long recovery. “I went to rehab three days a week with Ryan Buccafurni at Integrity Physical Therapy to basically strengthen the muscles around the labrum,” he continued. “It feels great now, I’m back to playing. It was sad to know that the pandemic took away our senior season, but that Last Dance tournament was a lot of fun, finally playing second base as a Spartan and getting a few more atbats in my career was awesome.” Oakes recalls being a wide-eyed freshman and getting the call to join the varsity group, a highlight of any young athlete’s prep career. “After a JV game, when I went 3-for-3, coach (Steve) Normane said, ‘hey, Pat, why don’t you come up to varsity for a few games.’ I was a little freshman and was probably about 130 pounds. I figured maybe I could hit a few line drives and help the team out,” he said. “Obviously I was a little nervous as a freshman getting called up to varsity in the middle of the season, and I didn’t expect to play very much, but the second game I was up there I got in for a few innings to play second base and got a few at-bats. My first varsity hit was against St. Augustine Prep and it’s always fun to play against them. It was great to have that feeling with my parents and friends watching.” Oakes also made an impact in basketball, his secondary sport, working his way up through the junior varsity ranks to finally become a counted on bench player for coach Jamie Gillespie as a senior. But even then, he had to deal with a sprained ankle that derailed half his season. That never dampened his enthusiasm, though. “I’m better at baseball, but basketball was fun, too. My junior year I played mostly JV and senior year I played under coach Jamie Gillespie, and I’ve known him my whole life, I’m good friends with his son, Gavin,” Oakes said. “We play together in baseball,
Oakes finished his high school career by ripping a double in his final at-bat in the Last Dance World Series. too, so it’s funny how the people in two different sports intersect. Basketball was fun. I was coming off the bench to create a spark. We had a great group of kids with Christian Kalinowski, Joe Glenn, Jack Cella, all those guys.” Even when the pandemic began, Oakes and his teammates never thought their senior baseball season would be wiped out. They just thought maybe it would be delayed a few weeks, which was good news to him because that would give him time for his ankle to fully heal. “We were supposed to have a scrimmage against EHT when we got the word that the season was going to be canceled. I left my baseball bag in my car for a few weeks because I was so upset. I didn’t even want to touch my gear,” he said. “But it ended up being a unique year. Hopefully baseball will be back next year for the seniors, but I think everyone will remember this quarantine, Last Dance edition of high school baseball.” Despite all the setbacks, Oakes has always had a positive attitude, and will take his love for not only the game, but people and life in general, with him to St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, where he plans to study accounting. “I’m just an active kid. I rarely watch any TV. My parents and I all live, sleep and breath baseball and basketball. Any room in the house, if you walk in, there’s probably a baseball or basketball laying around. In baseball and
basketball the coaching was great, and down here in South Jersey the competition — especially in baseball — was unbelievable. I faced Dan Nunan a couple times, Chase Petty is getting up there (in notoriety), Jayson Hoopes, Jake McKenna. I grew up with those guys and they are all a great group of kids,” Oakes said. “I’ve learned things on the court and on the field that I can not only use at the next level, but I can use in life. As my dad always told me, always be persistent. I would never give up or hang my head. You just have to get to the next play, or the next atbat. Baseball and basketball are both short-term memory sports. If you miss a foul shot or make an error, you have to make up for it the next play or the next time you get the ball. The main thing is always give your best. Walking off the field my junior year, I didn’t know this pandemic would happen. I thought I would have a full senior season. So, every time you step on the court or field, play every game like it’s your last and give it all you have. In the yearbook, I was asked to give a motivational quote to the freshman and I said, ‘always give your maximum effort on the field or on the court, or in whatever sport you play.’” Oakes said he believes the key to success — whether it be high school sports, academics or when he eventually enters the workforce, is communication. “Communication is a big key in my
opinion,” he said. “In baseball and basketball, communication is the key. In basketball I was always a guard and the first one back on defense so I’d have to communicate to the other players who to cover, and in baseball I was usually a shortstop or second baseman, so you had to communicate with the outfielders. That directly correlates with life and getting a job, you always want to communicate with your boss. Communication is the key to everything. Miscommunication can cause mistakes and anxiety but when everybody is on the same page you can have a wellrounded, stable environment.” While Oakes’ high school career wasn’t storybook in the traditional sense, it did have a storybook ending. Holy Spirit entered the “Last Dance World Series”, a 222-team statewide baseball tournament organized by several coaches in north Jersey. The tournament was held in July and aimed to give seniors one last chance to compete for their respective schools. Spirit won the pool play portion of the tournament at Ocean City, beating out five other teams, but then lost in the single elimination round to Williamstown. Before the Spartans bowed out with a 7-3 loss, however, Oakes got one last moment he’ll remember for the rest of his life. In what would be his final at-bat of his high school career, he roped a double into the gap in right-center field. When he reached second base he gave a quick tip of the cap to his teammates and coaches on the bench, the guys who had supported him through everything the past four years. “When I was younger, I had a game in third or fourth grade when my mom pulled out the video camera and I went 0-for-3 and struck out and I told her not to video me anymore. But for some reason, that last at-bat of my high school career, she took out her phone and took video and I’m glad she was there to witness that,” Oakes said. “It was that feeling of stepping up to the plate one last time. I was expecting a fastball on the outside part of the plate, and I took the barrel through the zone and hit it pretty far. For a second I thought it had a chance to get out, but I’ll take the double. That was fun.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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SENIOR SPOTLIGHT:
AHMAD BROWN, HOLY SPIRIT FOOTBALL/TRACK
‘Effervescent is a word I use for him’ Brown combined talent with hard work and charisma during his career By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer he first really big game of Ahmad Brown’s football life came on Nov. 25, 2016. The Non-Public Group 2 state championship at Kean University. It looked as though the freshman would start his high school career off with a ring, as Holy Spirit was less than 20 seconds away from victory. But then Mater Dei pulled off a hook-and-lateral play, scoring with seven seconds left to notch a 26-20 victory. “It was hard to come back from that,” Brown said. “In that game, I had an interception in the third quarter and I didn’t know what to do. If you run back the tape of that play, I caught the interception and then I stopped. I didn’t know what to do. I just started running. I was, what, 15 years old and playing in a game like that against those guys? I think one guy plays for Rutgers now. They had a great team, the atmosphere was crazy. It was heartbreaking to lose, but I honestly wouldn’t change it because it taught me so much.” The following year, another heartbreaker, as Mater Dei knocked off Holy Spirit 35-34 in the state semifinals. As a junior, Brown and the Spartans again made it back to the state championship game, but this time got blown out late by rival St. Joseph, 41-22, at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford. For three years, Brown — a wide receiver, kick returner and defensive back, and also a star track athlete — was denied a championship ring. But Spartans never give up, and
Ahmad Brown had an outstanding career with the Holy Spirit football program, and in his final season helped lead the Spartans to a state title.
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Glory Days photo/ Dave O’Sullivan
Holy Spirit football has built a legacy of continuing to grind no matter what, through even the most devastating losses. Those losses built the foundation of the character that was necessary for Brown and his teammates to finally triumph last fall, when Spirit completely dominated St. Joseph, scoring a resounding 38-0 victory at Rutgers that solidified coach A.J. Russo’s first state title as head coach. “My senior year, I had a talk with our dean of students and we talked about how I’ve grown from freshman year to now,” Brown said. “When I look back, I feel like this whole experience has changed me for the better and given me a sense of family and taught me about time management. I’m really happy I chose Holy Spirit, and all the people there who have helped me get to where I am today.” The heartbreak of their first three years turns boys like Brown, Kurt Driscoll, E’lijah Gray and the rest of this year’s seniors into men, and following that win over St. Joe this past December there was an outpouring of emotion. During the state playoffs,
Spirit lost an icon, as former beloved head and assistant coach Bill Walsh, a mentor to so many young men throughout the years, lost his battle with ALS and passed away. That, coupled with three years of frustration and nearly every sportswriter in the state picking against Spirit, gave St. Joe no chance. Holy Spirit was on a mission, and would not be denied this time. “It felt like a dream. Edgar Allen Poe couldn’t have written this story better. It felt like it was meant to be. May coach Walsh rest in peace — I felt like he was with us that day. In the locker room before the game, as we were walking onto the field, I felt like he was with us, and it just felt like it was supposed to happen. My freshman year, going to the state championship and losing, I’m kind of glad we lost because it taught us how to win and we were able to go out on top,” Brown said. “Before we left to go to the stadium we were looking at the predictions and everyone thought we were going to lose. That was plastered all over the locker room. The locker room was dead silent. You could hear a pin
drop. That was probably the most prepared we have ever been. We lined up and we knew what plays were coming. The coaches did a great job preparing us for that game. That was probably the most sound football I’ve ever been a part of.” This past season, Brown — who originally was an RPO quarterback as a freshman — was the only Spartans player to start on both offense and defense. He almost never came off the field. He was too valuable and too athletic to replace. “He was offense, defense and special teams. He was returning punts and kickoffs for us. That kid barely saw a break in any of the games. Sometimes you’re talking 120 plays per game and he was out there every play, playing his heart out, and the success he had speaks for itself. Knowing you can count on a guy to go out there and give his all every time he’s on the field makes a difference for a team,” coach Russo said. “It was just his athleticism. Being a track guy — a 400-meter guy
See Brown, page 9
August 20, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 9 Brown, from page 8 — imagine having to sprint for 400 meters. I mean, there’s a pace to it, but there really isn’t. You have to go fast. So his ability to handle that mentality and convert that to the football field — knowing he could give it his all on every play and knowing he could handle it — that’s just a tribute to his athleticism, his conditioning and the type of kid he is.” If there ever was a high school player who enjoyed the limelight, it was Ahmad Brown. After a win or a loss he was always available to the media. With a charming smile and outgoing personality he was a favorite among all Spartans fans, young and old. Russo jokes that he was like the mayor of Holy Spirit High School. “Effervescent is a word I use for him. He’s always on the ball, always on point, he’s a happy kid who is polite, he’s conversational. He has it all going, athletically, academically, socially — he’s just a super kid. He knows the maintenance guys, the lunch ladies, they all love him. If there was a mayor of a school, that would be Ahmad,” Russo said. “There are a couple kids like him in terms of competitiveness, like E’lijah, and having kids like the seniors we had this year — this was the first group we really brought in and tried to promote Holy Spirit with, both academically and athletically, so those kids are near and dear to our hearts. They are the first kids we had coming in and to achieve what they did — Sabri Drinks travels from Millville every day to go to school here. So these kids are committed to Holy Spirit high school, our community and our football team. To have guys like that, it just means so much to the school and the program. The newer kids coming in feed off that and it continues to build. This senior class has been a huge part of contributing to the success we’ve had the last four years.” The St. Anselm (N.H.) College recruit has always enjoyed being a high school football star and knows young kids look up to Spartans players. He took that responsibility to heart and always tried to set a good example to young kids. “It taught me how to deal with people looking up to you. When you come
in as a freshman, obviously you’re not going to be the big man on campus. I had great role models my freshman year with Dante Daniel, Reggie JeanCharles, coach Walsh — they instilled in me to be humble, and coach Walsh stressed that no matter what you always have to be humble,” he said. “There are so many people — I could rattle off names. My track coach said good kids make good coaches and great kids make great coaches. He always stressed that no matter what you do, just work hard and great things will come. I grinded my freshman and sophomore years and I really appreciate everything Holy Spirit has done for me. We’ve had our ups and downs in football and track, but at the end of the day that was the best four years of my life.” “These kids hung tough. They knew we had a competitive team and we would challenge every year. Against teams like St. Joe and Mater Dei, we knew every time we played them we’d have to play our best football. We came up short three years in a row, but these kids stuck to it and were able to take home a championship this past season,” Russo said. “It was heartfelt. The tears after the game were flowing, and they were tears of joy. The excitement these kids had after winning the championship was unmatched, and that’s a feeling I’ve never had and I know none of these kids ever had, either. That’s a memory these guys will have forever.” Brown said he plans on pursuing a degree in criminal justice while at St. Anselm College. He wants to make a difference and be a positive influence in people’s lives, just like he was during his four years at Holy Spirit. “I’m looking forward to playing with Jake (Cook, of Mainland) and all the other recruits we have coming in. I’ll be majoring in criminal justice and I’ll be looking for a career as an air marshal. I’ve always wanted to be a role model for kids and anytime somebody needed help I’ve always wanted to be there for people,” he said. “My parents always taught me that if you’re in a position to help somebody, you help them. I want to be able to give back to Holy Spirit, too, and be part of that alumni history that is built into this school.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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VIC’S SUBS COVER STORY
last hurrah Softball teams able to savor one last chance to step onto the field in Vineland By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer ob Dickenson watched the Vineland High School baseball team compete in the Last Dance World Series — a 222-team, statewide tournament set up to give high school baseball seniors in New Jersey one last chance to play after their 2020 spring season was wiped out due to the coronavirus pandemic — and knew that he had to try to do something to get the nine Fighting Clan softball seniors one last chance to don their uniforms and compete for their hometown. He ran the idea of a similar tournament, albeit on a much smaller scale, past Vineland coach Kristina Kulik and her staff, and then got to work contacting all the softball coaches in the Cape-Atlantic League to see if anybody would be interested in taking part in what came to be known as the Last Out Tournament at Vineland’s Fiocchi Field, the Babe Ruth League baseball and softball complex in the center of town. Six other teams joined Vineland, including five from the CAL plus Williamstown, in what was to be a fourday tournament but an event that stretched over parts of two weeks due to hurricane Isaias, which whipped up the East coast the first week of August. Vineland, Egg Harbor Township, Williamstown, Buena Regional, Cedar Creek, Oakcrest and Mainland Regional all took part, and, fittingly, the championship game came down to Vineland vs. EHT — a pair of South Jersey Group 4 rivals who met in the state playoffs a year ago. The Eagles rallied with two runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to score a 4-3, walkoff victory, but when it was all said and done all the teams were winners for being able to give their seniors at least one more opportunity to play high school softball.
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Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Outfielder Peyton McGowan, who helped lead Egg Harbor Township to a state championship when she was a freshman, was one of many seniors who got one final chance to play high school softball in the recent Last Out Tournament, hosted by Vineland. “I went and watched the Last Dance for the boys, and I thought something had to be done for the girls. I talked to coach Kulik and the rest of the (Vineland) coaches and said, ‘do you guys mind if I try to put this together?’ They gave me all the contact information for the coaches in the CAL and I sent out emails, followed up with text messages. Coach (Pam) Pickett of Buena helped out a lot with getting some teams involved. It was worth it just to see the girls put on the red-and-gray one more time,” said Dicksenson,
whose twin daughters, Brooke and Bailey, are starting infielders and juniors at Vineland High. “It was definitely a challenge — just like 2020 has been so far this year — with the weather, but we were glad to get it in. There was a packed house every night and I think everybody enjoyed it, so it was worth it for me.”
See Hurrah, page 11
August 20, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 11 Hurrah, from page 10 It was no surprise that the title game came down to Vineland and EHT, considering they are two of the best programs in South Jersey. Two years ago, the Fighting Clan played in a Group 4 state championship game, and this year’s Eagles seniors were freshmen in 2017 when EHT won the state championship. These programs also have two of the elite pitchers in South Jersey, Nicole Ortega, a 2020 graduate of Vineland, and Haley Korsak, a rising senior at EHT. Korsak broke onto the scene last year as a sophomore while Ortega is a former Press of Atlantic City Player of the Year. “There was no better outcome for me than to see a game like that played (in the final). It was mistake-free, it came down to the wire and EHT came out on top. All these (Vineland) girls have been playing softball with my daughters since they were 8 years old and you couldn’t ask for not only great athletes, ballplayers and student-athletes, but the young women they’ve become means a lot. Seeing them grow up and
mature, and seeing them now going on to the next stage of their life — as their former coach, I couldn’t be more proud of them,” Dickenson said. “I’m a firm believer that the CAL is one of the toughest conferences in the state. We have a lot of good ballplayers down here in South Jersey. Not just the Vineland girls, but I know a lot of the girls on other teams through the travel circuit, and we’re full of talent down here. This was a great way to show off all the talent we have here.” “This meant everything. We heard the boys were having a tournament so we pushed for one, and to finally get one meant everything. This is where I’m going to cry. This is the field we played tee-ball on, this is where it all started for us, so to start pitching here, and to finish pitching on the same field — that means the world,” said Ortega, who helped lead Vineland to a Babe Ruth 14-year-old World Series title a few years ago. “These girls, we grew up with them, so to get one last chance to play with them — knowing these
Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Bob Dickenson, who has twin daughters who play for Vineland High, organized the seven-team Last Out Tournament to give seSee Hurrah, page 13 niors a final opportunity to play high school softball.
August 20, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 13 Hurrah, from page 11 would be our last games — if I were to have known that my last game was my junior year and I’d never be able to play with them again, I don’t know how I would have handled myself.” Zoe Frisko, Vineland’s third baseman who plans to play at Rowan University next year, had an outstanding tournament that included two home runs on the final day, when the Fighting Clan had to win games against Cedar Creek and Oakcrest to make it to the championship game in the double-elimination format. She was emotional after the loss to EHT, not because of the outcome, but because she’ll never again be able to represent Vineland High as a softball player and student-athlete. “I didn’t think about it until now, that I’m never going to wear the Vineland uniform again. I am so thankful for the years I’ve spent here. I have memories that I’m never going to forget and people who have become family, and I’ll love them forever. It was a great feeling, the last time hitting a home run
on this field. I’ll remember these girls, and this game, and how much energy we had, forever,” she said. “It meant so much to us. We really didn’t think we were going to have a season, so to have these last few games to play together. I’m so thankful for it, and I wouldn’t trade this for the world. Just sitting in the dugout, watching all the girls cheering and seeing how hyped we all were, it just hits you. It’s the last time you’ll see them all doing that.” Freshman Madison Biddle turned out to be the hero for EHT, as her tworun double in the bottom of the eighth inning provided the winning runs, and the Eagles seniors reveled in the victory. But, more important than winning, they said, was simply getting the chance to play one more time. “It was kind of breathtaking and such a happy moment,” said EHT senior outfielder Peyton McGowan, who scored the game-tying run as the runner on second base when the eighth inning started using international tiebreaker rules. “I couldn’t have had it any other way. I was just thinking that I was excited to play, so I’m going to go
out there to win and give it all I have. I’m just happy we were able to finish it out on top.” “I’ve never been so excited and ready to just hug all my teammates. That was such a great feeling,” fellow senior Zoe Bork said. “It’s just a great opportunity. This was such an amazing opportunity for everyone, and this is a really special group of girls and I’m really lucky I got to share my last year with them. I’m so thankful that they got something together for us and were able to make this happen.” Added senior infielder Jess Sarni, “It was really special to come back out and play, especially after everything that’s been happening. I was really happy to come out here. The last four years we’ve played Vineland, it was always a battle to see who would win each year. Beating them in our last game was really something special, and I’m happy we could do it.” Players throughout South Jersey were crushed when their 2020 season was canceled, so, at least for some, the Last Out Tournament provided some closure to their careers.
“It feels good to know that I was able to salvage everything — to say ‘this was my last’, this was my last at-bat, this is my last pitch, this is my last time doing this with all these girls. It felt good to salvage that,” Ortega said. “I think the best part was giving everybody a last chance, especially since this season was uncertain, it was great to give everyone one last chance. I’ll always remember that this prepared me for everything, the competition, the sportsmanship, all that has prepared me for life.” For Dickenson, running the tournament provided a host of challenges, not the least of which was trying to get the fields ready to play on after a hurricane followed by another rain storm later that week. But after seeing how well the tournament was received by those involved, he said he’d do it all again in a heartbeat. “I didn’t mind it one bit. To see an outcome like this, it was all worth it, absolutely.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
The tournament saw some outstanding competition and some exciting games, as Oakcrest won several times and advanced to the semifinals before falling to Vineland. Glory Days photo/ Dave O’Sullivan
To view tournament photos, visit glorydaysonline.smugmug.com
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snapshots LAST OUT SOFTBALL TOURNAMENT
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New O.C. eatery has folks ‘Hooked’ Hooked On Breakfast a dream come true for owners Alicia and Keven Stauffer By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer relationship that began nearly three decades ago at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in Margate has led to one of the hottest new breakfast spots at the Jersey Shore. Alicia and Keven Stauffer have been together for 24 years and married for the past 20, and have three children, Taylor (16 years old), Drew (14) and Brielle (9), and are the proud owners of Hooked On Breakfast on Asbury Avenue in Ocean City, right next to PLAAY Yoga and near the corner of 9th Street. Alicia, a Mainland Regional High School graduate, and Keven, an Ocean City native, began working together at Uncle Bill’s during their high school days and about a year later started dating. They’ve always had an affinity for the restaurant business, Alicia as a waitress for many years and Keven as a chef, and in the years that followed their wedding day they often joked about how cool it would be to run their own restaurant. Well, a little more than a year ago Alicia, a teacher in Galloway, and Keven, who works at Borgata, decided it was time to take a chance on their dream. They sold their house in Linwood, bought the building that now houses their restaurant, and began the arduous task of gutting the entire place and rebuilding it from the ground up. “The front part of the building is more than 100 years old. We took it down to the studs, we had to move a lot of plumbing pipes,” Alicia said. “We’ve put so much of ourselves into this property, so there’s that satisfaction of when you look at it now it’s done and clean, and fresh and beautiful.”
Alicia and Keven Stauffer launched Hooked On Breakfast, Ocean City’s newest eatery, in early July, and so far it has been a huge success.
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Glory Days photo/ Dave O’Sullivan
“We took this place all the way down to the sand. We had beer bottles from the 1800s that we found in the sand underneath,” Keven added. It was quite the risk they were taking, but early indications are that the eatery that opened on July 6 is well on its way to becoming the next iconic Ocean City destination. In a little more than a month, Hooked On Breakfast already has more than 1,500 likes on Facebook and has a 5-star rating. “Keven and I met back in the mid 1990s as a cook-waitress duo at Uncle Bill’s Pancake House in Margate. We worked there for a while, we met when I was still in high school and worked together for about a year or so, then started dating. We’ve been together for 24 years, and married for 20,” Alicia said. “We both worked in restaurants a lot growing up. I worked for Uncle Bill’s for about a decade before taking some time off, and I went back about three years ago and started waitressing
again. And he grew up in the restaurant business — he’s been a bus boy, a dishwasher, a cook, a waiter, a prep cook, a kitchen manager, he’s kind of done it all. We’ve always just talked about wouldn’t it be fun one day if we had our own restaurant, and he’s always wanted to do it. It’s probably been 15 years we’ve been talking about it. About four years ago we started getting serious about it. He’s been working in the casino industry since 2000 and the casinos have been good to him and he’s still there, but I think being in business for yourself and being your own boss and feeling like you’re working hard for yourself instead of someone else’s bottom line — I could tell he wanted a shift and wanted a little more family focus and this is something he’s always wanted to do.” Nearly two-thirds of restaurants end up failing, and couple that with the coronavirus pandemic and it may seem that the odds are stacked against
Hooked On Breakfast. But Alicia and Keven are banking on not only their experience in the restaurant business, but also the quality of their food and service, to carry them through to success. “It was 100 percent risk for us. We bought the whole building and we live upstairs, which is ideally what we wanted. We wanted a mixed-use property so we could live upstairs and just come downstairs and go to work. Our kids are right here if they need something, and we love this downtown strip. We want to be open all year and we feel like we’re right in the heart of that downtown strip,” Alicia said. “When I go back and tell someone the story, and I hear everything we’ve lived through the past couple of years, that’s when I’m like, ‘wow, this has really been a lot!’ But in the day to day, we both just really believed it would work, and it
See Hooked, page 17
August 20, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 17 Hooked, from page 16 would be awesome.” “There can be such a huge reward in this, but this is also what I love doing. I went back to Uncle Bill’s (in Ocean City) last year just to do a summer, and it was fun still. It has re-energized me. When I’m working in the casinos I don’t get to see my kids much, and now my son is cooking with me, so there is more bonding time,” Keven said. “I think knowing we’re doing the right thing (will lead to success).” The duo was so nervous about the July 6 opening that they barely got any sleep for two straight days prior to that morning. “Nobody slept that night. I don’t think I crawled into bed until about 3:30 a.m., I laid in bed for about an hour and a half, and then we got down here around 5:30. We barely slept for two days,” Alicia said. “Our first customer was a take-out order. One of our best friends, Vito DeMarco, had told everybody about us for the past two years, and once we got the building he was telling everybody. The first woman was parked outside at 6:05 a.m., and we didn’t open until 6:30, and she said, ‘Vito said I had to come try you guys so I’ll wait until 6:30.’ Then another couple, Bob Greenwood and his wife, was riding by and stopped to have breakfast, and they didn’t even realize they were our very first customers. We’ve gotten tremendous support from people we know and it made us feel so good.” It may sound simplistic, but the quality of the food can make or break a restaurant, and Alicia believes Keven’s cooking can stand up to even the harshest critic. She knows, she’s been enjoying his dishes for nearly 25 years. “I think Keven’s food is going to get people to come back. The food is just good. He’s creative in the kitchen and I think he puts a different twist on breakfast. Some things are the same — everybody has two eggs, home fries and toast, and so do we — but the sticky bun French toast is his homemade sticky buns that he’s turning into French toast. There are so many homemade items that set us apart. He’s been offering this special, sushi pancakes with apple cinnamon egg roll, and it was amazing,” she said. “It’s the
Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Keven Stauffer, co-owner and chef at Hooked On Breakfast in Ocean City, shows off one of his delicious homemade sticky buns. food, and I hope we make customers feel welcome. To me, you can have the best food on the island, but if you’re not getting that friendly service you’re not going to come back.” Service is also hugely important to the success of any restaurant, particularly in this day and age when a negative review can go viral online. That’s why Alicia, who runs the front of the house, spends so much time trying to get her staff to understand that a smile and a kind word can really go a long way. “Keven and I believe in the philosophy that you lead by example. He’s busting his tail in the kitchen every day and I’m out front every day. I’m going around greeting customers, clearing plates, getting people more coffee — I’m trying to show what good service looks like, not just saying it and then standing around doing nothing. We have a split staff where we have servers who have 20-plus years of experience and they know how to naturally multi-task, be friendly and give great service. And we have other girls who have never waited tables before. So we have good leadership. We try to teach the younger workers in a positive way because we want them to be with us for a long time. The teacher in me is always wanting to teach,” Alicia said.
“We tell them, it’s breakfast and lunch, we’re not saving lives. Nothing is going to be such a big problem that we can’t fix it. Tell the customers we can handle pretty much any request, and if you’re not sure, just check with the kitchen and if Keven can’t do it, he’ll tell you why. People are on vacation and are here to have a good time, or if they are locals we want them coming back all the time. People have their places in Ocean City they have to get to, like Johnson’s Popcorn or Manco & Manco Pizza, and we want to be on that list. We impress upon our staff that you’re the face of us, and how you act makes a difference.” Added Keven, “we had a two-day orientation program with our employees and the one thing we kept telling them is we are selling a positive dining experience for a profit. That’s the bottom line in everything we do. You can go to a fast food restaurant and get pancakes for $1.99 that fill your stomach, the same as you can here, but we’re selling the positive dining experience. So everything our employees do has to be positive.” Both Keven and Alicia are still holding on to their career jobs for the time being, but they hope one day they’ll be in position to just have the restaurant to
worry about. “Aside from the pandemic and hot weather with no inside dining, I feel like we’re in a good flow. It is a challenge serving all the way down the block, because we’ve been fortunate enough to serve in front of our neighboring store, PLAAY Yogo. (Their owner) was very generous in letting us put tables in front of her place and that has saved our summer because it doubled our outside space. Factoring in all the challenges, we’re very happy with the business volume we’ve had, and the staff dealing with the heat and serving down the block. I keep telling the staff this is the hardest it’s ever going to be. And they have really stepped up,” Alicia said. “We’re in this for the long haul. We don’t really have a plan B, we feel like this is going to be our future.” It has been less than two months since Hooked On Breakfast opened, but if the first few weeks are any indication, the Stauffer family is well on its way to becoming a fixture on Asbury Avenue in Ocean City. “We have gotten such positive feedback on his food. It’s great when your friends are supportive, and we have great friends from all different circles of life. When your friends compliment us, is it because they are our friends and love seeing our dream come to life, or do they really love Keven’s food? Or is it a combination?” Alicia said. “So when someone I don’t know — this one guy got take-out and when he came to get it, I said, ‘I hope you really love it. You’re going to love the roll, my husband makes these homemade rolls for the burgers and they are so good.’ The guy called back and called to speak to the owner and he said, ‘I know you guys just opened and sometimes people complain, but I have to tell you, this was the best lunch I’ve ever had. That burger was amazing.’ “I said to Keven, ‘that’s the stuff where you know you’re doing something right.’ For me, that’s the most rewarding thing, that people love the food and are happy with the service. I just think this is going to get better and better.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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SENIOR SPOTLIGHT:
JOSHUA KOTOKPO, PLEASANTVILLE FOOTBALL
Coming of age in The Ville Overcoming obstacles has prepared RB for college football By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer hen Joshua Kotokpo started his high school football career at Pleasantville four years ago, like a lot of freshmen, he thought he was the man. He thought the success he had at the youth level would transfer right over to the varsity level and he’d be a star from the get-go. He quickly realized that high school varsity football is serious business, and if he wanted to make an impact with the Greyhounds in the years to come he had to work harder and get bigger, stronger, faster and better. That drive to be the best he can be and overcome anything that was put in his path — from injuries to a horrific shooting during a state playoff game his senior year — is what has set Kotokpo up to become a college football player at Assumption University. “When I first started high school I thought I was the man. At the end of preseason coach Sacco saw a lot of potential in me so he put me on special teams. I started a little bit for kick return and punt return and got some playing time with the varsity in some of the scrimmages. Sophomore year, I started getting the ball in games and scored a few touchdowns. I was feeling great and just trying to build a foundation for (junior year). I started seeing some potential in myself so I kept working hard throughout the offseason, and that showed on tape during the season and that started getting some interest from colleges,” said Kotokpo, a 5-foot-8, 170-pound running back. “My mentality changed (after sophomore year). You could see my grades getting better in school and my energy was better. I was loving it. It was frustrating to get injured (early in senior year) because I was thinking I had to get into a college, not only for me, but for my family. I was out there every day trying to get the young guys involved, and I was still getting in my lifts and my rehab. I was just waiting patiently.”
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Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Running back Joshua Kotokpo helped lead Pleasantville to 27 wins during his four-year career after the Greyhounds won just three games in the four years before he arrived on campus. Kotokpo suffered an ankle injury in the preseason before his senior year in 2019 and he missed the first couple of games, but once he got back on the field he showed why coach Chris Sacco and his staff had so much confidence that Kotokpo could be a difference maker. Upon his return at the end of September, all Kotokpo did was rush 13 times for 141 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the year with more than 500 yards and eight touchdowns for a team that went 8-3 and advanced to the Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals before falling to Camden. During his career, Kotokpo rushed for more than 1,000 yards and scored more than 20 touchdowns, and the Greyhounds went 27-15 after going 3-37 in the four years prior to his arrival. “People started seeing how serious we were. We just kept working every single week trying to get
each other better. We had a lot of competition during practice and that showed in games, how hard we were working and how bad we wanted it,” he said. “I’m just glad we’ve made a name for ourselves. We used to be the talk of the town as a joke — coming in my freshman year, nobody wanted to go to Pleasantville. Even coaches from my youth league didn’t want me to go to Pleasantville, but I saw something in Pleasantville and I took that route, and I’m very satisfied. Playing with the older guys like Mohamed (Toure) and Elijah (Glover) showing us the ropes, we just wanted to keep that going. That’s probably the best feeling, knowing you helped keep this new legacy going.”
See Kotokpo, page 19
August 20, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 19 Kotokpo, from page 18 Kotokpo, like the rest of his teammates, believed they had built a state championship-contending squad heading into the 2019 season, and they were right. The Greyhounds took down a good Salem team in the season opener but then lost to perennial powerhouse Haddonfield in the second game of the season. But after that they ripped off seven straight wins, including an 18-6 victory over eventual sectional champion Cedar Creek and a 21-14 win over Buena that secured a West Jersey Football League divisional championship. But during a hotly contested sectional semifinal game against Camden, with the Greyhounds trailing 6-0 late in the third quarter, shots rang out in the stands at Pleasantville and that violence eventually led to the death of a little boy, 10-year-old Micah Tennant. That hit the Greyhounds hard, and when the game resumed the following Wednesday at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, the team just wasn’t the same and ended up losing to the Panthers, 22-0. “For me, at the time, I was really just worried about the well being of my teammates and my family in the bleachers, and everybody at the game. I just wanted everybody to be safe. It didn’t take me long (to recognize what was happening). A few shots in and I knew it wasn’t fireworks or anything like that. I was just running off instinct at that point. Where we live it’s kind of common, but I didn’t think it would happen at a football game,” he said. “Once we got into the school we were just trying to calm everybody down. It was getting kind of hectic in there and the atmosphere felt unsettled. Nobody felt safe, everybody was panicking. We let the guys have a little bit of space but we kept telling the younger guys that we’re there for them and we’ll make sure everybody is safe.” The Pleasantville players learned on the morning the game resumed that young Micah had died from his injuries, and as much as they wanted to, they couldn’t pull of a win in his honor against a very tough and talented Camden team. “At the beginning of the day we came to the school and we were talking about
“I started seeing some potential in myself so I kept working hard throughout the offseason, and that showed on tape during the season and that started getting some interest from colleges. My mentality changed (after sophomore year). You could see my grades getting better in school and my energy was better. I was loving it.”
Joshua Kotokpo Pleasantville senior RB
how we were going to win for Micah. But before we left they let us know that Micah died. Everybody was sad. Some people didn’t show it, but a lot of people were emotional. But we just tried to stay calm and keep working on taking care of business for him. I was proud that we fought so hard, but I was also disappointed that we couldn’t pull it off for him,” Kotokpo said. “We’re here for each other. We build together; we go through a lot together, the whole team. We showed how strong this team has gotten the past couple of years and how much of an impact this program has had on us.” Kotokpo will carry a lot with him to college, most notably the knowledge that he can overcome anything, and the future engineering major is intent on proving the best is yet to come for him. And he’ll always remember his Pleasantville roots. “Knowing I’m going to be a college football player — I just know I’m going to take care of business. I know I have to work on my speed because everybody is fast in college. I know I’m going to have to get bigger and stronger and just keep working on my game,” Kotokpo said. “It’s been a privilege to play for Pleasantville. We’re all pretty close and the love the whole team had was unmatched, just the way we stuck together and helped make each other better.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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BASEBALL/SOFTBALL
Masters in overcoming ACL injuries Ventnor’s Master family has had to deal with three kids tearing their ACL in less than two years By DAVE O’SULLIVAN Staff Writer lenn and Margie Master, of Ventnor, are starting to get to know Dr. Ryan Buccafurni of Integrity Physical Therapy in Northfield pretty well. Probably better than they ever wanted to. They are the parents of four children, Megan, Katie, Ryan and Matt — all former, current or future athletes at Atlantic City High School — and three of their kids have suffered anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in the past 18 months. “It’s unbelievable, three in about 16 months,” said Buccafurni, who has been tasked, along with his team, of rehabilitating Megan (21 years old), Ryan (17) and now Katie (18), who recently became the third Master athlete to tear an ACL. “Generally speaking, that’s rare, but there is some evolving literature that there may be genetic predispositions and doctors are looking into different genes that may be associated with it but we’re not 100 percent sold on that idea. We do see some trends, however. We had another family where four of their kids all tore their ACL and it was a similar scenario, where within five years of each other they all went down.” Ryan — a rising senior who has played just one season of high school baseball for the Vikings because of his injury and the 2020 coronavirus pandemic wiping out his junior season this spring — was the first to go down when he hurt his knee playing basketball in early 2019. Then Megan, a rising senior and softball pitcher at University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, tore hers back in March, before her third college season was stopped because of the pandemic. Katie is a scholarship recruit to Central Connecticut State and most likely will miss most of her freshman season next spring, if it is even played. “I heard a pop and my leg just kind of gave out. I didn’t know what happened, but I feared the worst. I tried to go back into the game but I couldn’t walk. The doctors told me they didn’t think it was a torn
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Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Former Atlantic City High star softball player Megan Master and her younger brother, Ryan, a rising senior at the high school, both tore their ACLs within the span of 18 months. Ryan has completed his rehab and is back playing baseball, while Megan hopes to be back for her senior season at University of Sciences in Philadelphia next spring. ACL,” Ryan said. “I wasn’t think about (the baseball season), I just wanted to get my knee better. I assumed I still had two more years to make a name for myself, but now with the coronavirus I only have one more year.” “He went to Urgent Care that night and they didn’t think he tore it, so that got our hopes up a little bit, but we took him to the ortho the next day and they knew it was torn,” Glenn said. “In June (of 2019), three months after the surgery, we went to South Carolina for one of Katie’s tournaments and he was throwing a football, we were having a catch with the baseball and he was moving around pretty well. We actually had to slow him down.” Megan tore her ACL while fielding a ground ball outside the pitching circle, as her knee gave out when she pivoted to make the throw to first base. “We were in Florida and at that point we had about 15 games in. I was fielding a ball, I left the circle, I went to turn to throw to first and my knee gave out.
It was really scary. I wasn’t really in pain, but it was scary because I couldn’t put weight on it without my knee giving out. I was trying to be positive, but I didn’t think it was going to end well. I learned within a week or two that it was torn,” she said. “You can’t really prepare for it but seeing Ryan get through it and seeing him come back stronger than ever was good to see. I was worried and wasn’t sure how it would go, but seeing him successful after going through it was reassuring. I’ve been asking him a ton of questions throughout the process, like when he got off crutches, how soon could he walk again — just trying to figure out the timeline of everything. And seeing him now a year after it happened, I know that I’ll be OK soon.” There are no shortcuts when it comes to ACL rehab, it’s a nine-month grind that now Katie Master will have to go through, following in her sister’s
See Injuries, page 21
August 20, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 21 Injuries, from page 20 and brother’s footsteps. She’ll likely have the surgery in September with Dr. Bradford Tucker of Rothman Institute, who performed the surgeries on Megan and Ryan. Matt, age 14, so far has been spared of a devastating knee injury. “The goals are the same (for both boys and girls) and those are to get range of motion and make sure you don’t lose extension. Getting the knee straight is always really important, and the bear of it is always maintaining mobility and full extension. By achieving full extension, that allows you to get the quadricep strong. The bear of ACL rehab is getting the range of motion and then getting that quad kicked on. Blood flow restriction therapy has been a game-changer as far as early ACL rehab, and getting that quad kicked on,” Buccafurni said. “The biggest thing is, these kids are athletes and we know that with their mentality, they are going to come back stronger than ever. As long as they believe and trust the process, and you develop a good team around you, the quicker we get them into surgery and get the rehab process started, expect them to return to play in nine months. We haven’t had somebody fail our return to play testing in a long time and nine months is kind of the gold standard right now.” “I went to physical therapy within two days after having the surgery and went three times a week and just grinded. It was painful at first. The first six weeks is probably the fastest recovery, but then it kind of slows down. After about two months I didn’t think it was going to get better, but slowly it got better. After about three months I could start jogging. I wasn’t fearful of that. It was around seven months when I passed my test, but they wanted me to wait until nine months to really go full out. I feel 100 percent now. I don’t think there is any difference at all, it’s really just in your mind, thinking you might get hurt again,” Ryan said. “It was tough to go through, but I just had to think about the future, so I just grinded and kept going.” Megan, who is studying to become a physical therapist, is right in the middle of her nine-month rehab stint and hopes she will be ready to go when her
Glory Days photo/Dave O’Sullivan
Megan has leaned on her brother as a source of information and confidence as she goes through her ACL rehabilitation process. college season begins in February. “I think as the winter comes to an end and the spring starts I should hopefully get cleared for my senior season (in 2021). I should be good by next February. I’m going to be a little nervous, but I just have to trust the recovery, and I’ll have to get back into the circle eventually. I’m a little worried with taking so much time off, but I’m hoping I’ll come back even stronger because I’ll be working on my legs and strengthening them,” she said. “It’s weird because when you’re on the other side and just watching your brother go through it, you don’t realize how serious it is. It’s tough, but I’ve been trying to stay positive and trying to find small things to be positive about. (In early June) I made a lot of improvements and I think
I’m on the road to a good recovery. “The positive I took out of it is that I’m going through as a patient what I want to do as a physical therapist. I think that will help me.” Glenn and Margie — who herself was a star softball player during her days at Atlantic City and is in the school’s athletic hall of fame — have done their best to keep a positive attitude throughout what has been a grueling process for the family. “As a mom, one of the biggest things we tried to do for (Ryan) was to get him out socially and being active. We didn’t want him stuck in the house, which was advice someone had given us, to make sure everything is as normal as possible,” Margie said. “I think he appreciates the game a lot more
now, too. He sees things a little differently.” “There are no shortcuts to this rehab, but (Matt) really handled it better than we did. He’s a pretty chill kid and he didn’t complain. He just did his rehab and worked hard, and he’s moving now better than he was before. He’s in better shape, he’s stronger, and even during the quarantine we’d go to the field four days a week to hit. He and Megan both were working really hard, and Matt has really matured a lot through this process. He’s making us proud,” Glenn added. “The Rothman people did the surgery and then he went to Ryan Buccafurni for rehab, and they are both fantastic. He’s done the rehab for both Megan and Matt, and they really are good and we appreciate all the time they’ve put in with them.” Ryan says he is stronger now than he’s ever been, and that’s not surprising to Dr. Buccafurni. “It’s possible to come back even stronger. We rehab ACLs extremely aggressively, especially in our athletes,” Buccafurni said. “Your traditional rehab program goes from getting range of motion into a strength and conditioning program. By six-to-eight weeks post-op, our clients are working their butts off. By eight weeks post-op they are sometimes back squatting, dead lifting. We transition into strength and conditioning principles very quickly.” While Megan and Katie are rehabbing hard now to get back to their respective college softball diamonds, Ryan has just one season of high school baseball left to make a name for himself, and he’s eager to take the field again next spring. He’s been out there all summer with his travel team, Triple Crown Baseball out of Egg Harbor Township. “I’m playing all summer and I’ll be training throughout the winter, so hopefully I’ll be ready to have a great season,” he said. “It will be amazing to get back out there for Atlantic City. I have to carry the legacy (of my sisters). I’ve waited three years now, so it will be even better than it would have been two years ago to step onto a varsity baseball field.” Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
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August 20, 2020 w Glory Days Magazine w Page 23
Presented by Bunting Family Pharmacy
q&a
Katie Master ATLANTIC CITY SENIOR/SOFTBALL
(Editor’s note: After this interview was completed, Master tore her ACL while competing for Mainland Regional in the Last Out Tournament. She’ll begin that rehab soon and will attend classes at Central Connecticut State remotely for the fall semester before joining the softball program there next spring.)
K
atie Master is a recent graduate of Atlantic City High School and one of the premier softball players in the Cape-Atlantic League. She has committed to Central Connecticut State as a scholarship student-athlete. Earlier this summer, Sully caught up with Katie to discuss her lost senior season and what being a part of Atlantic City softball has meant to her the past four years. Sully: At what point did you realize there wasn’t
going to be a 2020 season? Master: I held out hope the whole time, until they said there wasn’t going to be a season, that’s when I knew it wasn’t happening. I was trying to hold onto the hope without getting too down. Sully: How quickly did it hit you guys, because there really wasn’t a lot of warning that anything this big was coming down the pike. In January people thought it wasn’t going to be that big of a deal. Master: Honestly, I thought we would be going back to school in a month but then they were like, no, you guys aren’t going back for the rest of the year. I thought it was a joke, like, you’re funny, we’re going back. But then I realized we weren’t. It’s crazy, because I walked into the high school (in June) to drop
off all my materials and I was thinking, ‘this is the last time I’m going to be in this school as a student.’ It was very weird. Sully: The moment you found out the season was canceled, what were your emotions? Master: I was devastated. I woke up that morning and saw it all over social media and I started crying. I put a big post on Instagram. Sully: What were you hoping for out of this season? You already had the college locked up and you’ve already proven you’re one of the best players in the Cape-Atlantic League. What was on your list of things to accomplish? Master: This spring, I wanted to go for Player of the
See Katie, page 24
Page 24 w Glory Days Magazine w August 20, 2020 Katie, from page 23 Year. That was my goal. That was my mindset all winter — work hard and be better than everyone else. That’s how I’ve always been, but this year I had such a different approach. I had been recruited, so I felt like I was ahead of the game and I knew as a senior with a lot of varsity experience that I could go for Player of the Year this year. Sully: How much more confident did you feel coming into this season? Master: So much more confident, especially because I knew I’m about to play for a Division I softball program, I felt like I could actually do this. Sully: How long did it take you to realize that it was a real thing that your senior season was gone? Master: Probably the week before the season, that’s when it hit me. We were
waiting to hear something, and we thought there would be an announcement that we could go back to school now. But then I was like, OK, it’s done. Sully: How did you process that and start looking to move on to college? Everybody wants that senior day and all the stuff that goes along with being a senior, being the captain, all those kinds of things. Master: I just tried to stay busy. I worked a lot during the quarantine. I have two jobs, and I would go to the field a lot. I just tried to keep my mind busy so I didn’t have to think about anything. I worked all the time. Sully: What are the things that come to mind when you think of things you’ll miss about this season? What kind of things do you think about when you consider what this season would have provided, the last time to step onto the
field with this group of players? Master: Just the experience of being a senior. I know for field hockey it was so special, and I know for softball it would have been just as special. And pitching on the high school field one more time because I’m probably not going to ever pitch again. That’s one thing I wanted. In (summer) travel ball I might just pitch an inning to say, ‘OK, that’s it.’ Sully: What are you looking forward to most when you get to Central Connecticut State? Master: Just the overall experience and playing softball at the college level. It’s going to be so different and I’m so excited for it. Sully: Do you feel like you’ll be behind the eight-ball a little bit because you didn’t have a senior season? Or do you feel like with the summer travel season you’ll be ready?
Master: I’ve trained more during the quarantine than I probably have my whole life, so I feel almost ahead of the game. Yeah, I haven’t seen live pitching, but I feel like once I do, I’ll be ready. Sully: What would you say to fans of Atlantic City softball, your other teammates, your coaches? What has meant the most to you when it comes to being a part of that program? Master: Just how everyone backed me up and always was there for me, that was the biggest thing. Especially the coaches. Everyone there always supported me no matter what, through every situation, and that meant the most to me. Contact Dave O’Sullivan: sully@acglorydays.com; on Twitter @GDsullysays
snapshots ATLANTIC COUNTY BASEBALL LEAGUE FINALS