In the photograph, they stare back at you like the ghosts they now are, relics of a bygone era in front of a building that, save for its archway, is gone as well. Their haircuts are neat and short, many slicked to the side. They wear serious if not somber expressions -- it is the Great Depression, after all -- and their oversized uniforms look like they're made of burlap.  They are integrated, a handful of black faces scattered among the white, which makes them fairly remarkable for that moment in our history.  It is 1935 and they are the Cape May County championship team. Their photo is displayed proudly on the current weight room wall.

They are not the oldest team on the wall, either. They are pre-dated by the 1923 and 1929 teams, whose images hang there as well. The wall provides a lesson on the great teams, players and coaches in the history of Ocean City High School football. Nearly every era of the program's 101 years is represented in some fashion.

Current Raider head coach Kevin Smith began assembling the photographs shortly after he got the job in 2012.  "The weight room was largely a blank slate at the time," Smith said.  "We were replacing a lot of the old equipment with new stuff.  The walls were white and the room felt empty. I wanted to liven it up, so I thought what better way than to tell the story of the program."

Smith began calling alumni and scouring the internet for photographs of former Red Raiders who had gone on to play in college.  "I wanted their college photos," he said, "because I wanted our players to have something to shoot for while they were training.  College football is an elite fraternity -- only about 6% of kids who play high school make it there on any level -- so I wanted to recognize those guys who had."

The wall portrays a virtual Who's Who of Raider greats from the past, beginning largely with the 1980s. There is Trip Snyder, a bruising lineman from the '84 championship team, who went out west to play at Southern Oregon State. Current OCHS principal Matt Jamison, an '84 grad, is displayed in action at West Chester University. There is George Karayannis, a hulking tight end who played at Temple, and Chris Armstrong, who played at then-Trenton State. Doug Colman, the only Raider to play actively in the NFL, is photographed as a member of both the Nebraska Cornhuskers and New York Giants.

A host of players from the 1990s are there, too. The undefeated '96 championship team (arguably the greatest in OCHS history) is represented by Matt LeFever (Southern Connecticut), Greg LeFever (East Carolina), Nick Bailey (Towson), Scott Lipford (Rowan) and current OCHS running backs coach Kevin Sinclair (Rutgers).  Austin Martin (Bryant University), Jay Toscano (Gettysburg) and Matt Chila (Villanova) are present as well. 

Some of the players from the early 2000s include Rick Henshaw (Shippensburg), AJ Harris (Elon), Dan Bonato (Maryland) and Chris Curran (Ursinus).  Recent Raider grads like Andrew Donoghue (TCNJ) and Paul Stanton (Scared Heart) are among the newest additions.

There is a coaching section with shots of every head coach from Fred Haack (1950s) through Smith.  The championship teams from 1984, 1996, 1998 and 1999 are represented, as are recent playoff games at Delsea (2017) and Highland (2018). There is the memorable "Fog Bowl" playoff game vs. Lacey Township from 2008. And an iconic photo of Princess Grace of Monaco, who owned a home in Ocean City, posing with members of the 1957 team. In all, more than fifty images adorn the wall.

"We have over one hundred years of football history here," Smith said. "I want our kids to be aware of that. They need to know they are a part of something bigger than themselves. I often see them looking at the photos and talking about the older players between workout sets. This is a great way to pay tribute to those guys. It also gives our current players something to shoot for - maybe one day their picture will be hanging on the wall as well."

What photo is Smith missing that he wants to hang most on the wall?

"Our next championship. It's been twenty years since we won one.  It's time to get another."