The year 2009 is a year filled with anniversaries for Ocean City High School sports teams.

It was 20 years ago that Gina Zappariello’s softball team completed an improbable march to the state championship, the only one in the history of that program.

Five years earlier, in 1984, Ed Woolley guided the Raiders to the school’s first South Jersey playoff football championship with an exciting win over Willingboro at the newly dedicated Carl Lewis Stadium.

It was 30 years ago that Pat Dougherty’s team won a South Jersey championship in girls basketball, reaching the state finals were they were beaten by a team led by 6-7 Anne Donovan, one of the greatest players in New Jersey history. It was the first South Jersey title by any OCHS girls program.

That same year, in the spring, Ralph Carson took his golf team through an undefeated season to the South Jersey championship.

It was 35 years ago that Phil Birnbaum won the first of his South Jersey championships in tennis.

And, 45 years ago, Dixie Howell won his second – and final – state championship in boys basketball.

If you attended OCHS during the last five decades, one of those championship teams is probably special to you. You could include Mike Naples’ dynasties in girls track and girls cross country, the Pat Lynch years in wrestling, the incredible soccer teams of the past decade and the last 20 years of field hockey success. You can go back to the 1930s, when John Carey won three times in the state track meet. Or the incredible accomplishments of Archie Harris. There are many, many more.

These are some of the sports memories that former Ocean City High School students have taken with them. Some of them have carried their memories all over the World.

Next month, OCHS wants you to come back.

On Sept. 25-26 the first Red & White Weekend will be held in Ocean City. It is envisioned as a couple days when all those who attended OCHS will participate in a two-day celebration. And it is all surrounding the annual Ocean City-Mainland football game, which hardly needs any more hype. But it seems appropriate because there are probably hundreds and hundreds of OCHS grads who now live in Somers Point, Linwood or Northfield and whose loyalties now center on their children, who attend Mainland.

The weekend is scheduled to begin with a tailgate party sponsored by the Archie Harris Booster Club. After the football game, there will be gatherings at the Deauville Inn, where they are bringing back OCHS Wing Night, and at DiOrio’s in Somers Point.

On Saturday, there will be a luncheon at the high school and a tour of the five-year old building for those who have not yet seen it. And a parade is planned, with floats and flatbed trucks honoring veterans and other distinguished alumni. That might include members of some of the teams mentioned above. Or the women who became Miss New Jersey. Or especially prominent graduates like author Gay Talese, MTV anchor Kurt Loder, blues musician Walter Trout and retired military officer Ken Farrell.

If Mike Cipriano was the principal when you attended Ocean City High School, or Mike Subotich, or George Meyer, the Red & White Weekend is for you. If you remember the gym in the old high school as a state-of-the-art facility, or a leaky band box, they want you to attend. If you remember the Youth Center and the Junior Fair, or if you hung out at the mall, try to attend. Was your hangout Pop’s or the Boxwood, or McDonald’s? They want all of you.

There will probably be recognition of the oldest alumni to return and maybe the class from each decade that returns the most members. You can post a message and follow the progress of the weekend on their website – OCHSalumni.com. And, for more information, you can call Shawna Mulford at 609-703-4862.

In this age of immediate communications, it should be easy to get the word out about the first Red & White Weekend. Send emails to the OCHS alumni in your address book. Mention it on your Facebook or MySpace. Give it a tweet on your Twitter.

A year filled with championship anniversaries seems like a great year to start a universal reunion covering nearly 100 years of Ocean City High School.