RED BANK – A year ago, in a battle of unbeaten teams and before a standing room only crowd, Red Bank Regional scored one of its more significant football victories in school history with a 24-21 triumph over crosstown rival Red Bank Catholic.
The setup was totally different this year with both teams in rebuilding seasons, and this time it was RBC, sparked by the return of sophomore quarterback Steve Lubischer after a seven week absence, that led to an impressive 35-0 “B” Division North victory last Friday at Count Basie Field.
Lubischer suffered a shoulder injury in a loss to Middletown South on opening day, but was in peak form in his return, completing 5 of 10 passes for 185 yards and three touchdowns. He might have had two more but for drops.
“We weren’t sure how he would play in game action after missing so much time,” said RBC coach Frank Edgerly. “You are hopeful that things would go as planned and he did a great job. He was poised and very calm. Steve was a shot in the arm to our offense.”
RBC has been playing shorthanded at quarterback this season with the top three sidelined by a variety of injuries, but Lubischer came back and made a big difference.
“I was confident coming in,” said Lubischer. “The offensive line did a great job and coach Edgerly put me in some great spots.”
“This was a great win for the seniors after what happened last year,” said Edgerly. “We practiced hard all week and every player did well with his assignment. Our defense was outstanding.”
RBC, with a very young team, got great efforts from its underclassmen, especially 6-4 freshman tight end Kevin Bauman, who caught touchdown passes of 22 and 70 yards.
“Both of the touchdowns were on play action,” said Bauman. “It is an incredible experience as a freshman playing out there.”
RBC scored on its first series, moving 64 yards in 11 plays. Helped by runs of 13 and 11 yards from Zach Bair, RBC reached the 22 from where Lubischer hit Bauman, who made an over-the-shoulder catch in the end zone. Ryan O’Hara kicked the first of five extra points.
RBC struck again on the first play of the second quarter when Bair grabbed a Buc punt and returned it for a 54-yard touchdown. Bair also had a 50-yard touchdown run nullified by a clip in the fourth quarter.
RBC scored its third touchdown on a 62-yard scoring pass from Lubischer to sophomore Jaden Key.
On RBC’s next series, Lubischer hit Bauman on a pass play covering 70 yards for a 28-0 advantage.
“Noah played a great game,” said Edgerly. “He was all over the field. This team has overcame adversity with all the injuries this season and this will serve us well.”
RBC ends its regular season Friday when it plays host to Manasquan.
“This will be a hard game for us,” said Edgerly. “Manasquan has a great football program and we respect them.”
