By Rich Chrampanis
RED BANK – One of the Shore’s great football rivalries delivered another memorable chapter at Count Basie Field.
Gabe Kemp rushed for 256 yards and two touchdowns and Red Bank Catholic survived a furious Rumson-Fair Haven comeback to secure a 31-28 victory and clinch the Shore Conference A North division championship.
The Bulldogs erased a 14-point second-half deficit behind quarterback Brady Williams, who threw for 387 yards and accounted for three touchdowns. But RBC took the lead on a 27-yard field goal by Simon Picinich with 1:47 remaining, then escaped when RFH’s potential game-tying kick sailed wide left in the closing seconds.
For the Caseys, it was an important response to their upset loss to Winslow Township six days earlier.
“We just had to look in the rearview mirror from last week and just get onto this week,” Kemp said. “It’s a big game. We hate them. They hate us. So we love playing this rivalry game.”
Kemp wasted little time setting the tone, breaking loose for a 30-yard touchdown run to give RBC an early 7-0 lead.
Williams answered by guiding RFH on a 10-play, 65-yard drive, capped by Ryder Izzo’s two-yard touchdown run to tie the game at the end of the first quarter.
The Bulldogs moved in front in the second quarter. Casey Moore made a juggling catch near midfield, and Williams continued to create plays under pressure, including a completion to Cole Spoonire that moved RFH into scoring position. Williams finished the 11-play, 73-yard drive with a 6-yard touchdown pass to Moore for a 14-7 lead.
RBC quarterback Rahmir Rivera supplied the response, finding a seam and taking off for a 24-yard touchdown run to tie the game with less than four minutes remaining in the half. The Caseys’ defense then delivered a crucial stop. Lorenzo Tartamella helped apply the pressure, and Luke Scaturro finished with a sack to give RBC another opportunity before halftime.
Rivera rolled out and connected with Ethan Kennedy, who shook off a defender and raced to the end zone for a 51-yard touchdown. Jason Berecsky intercepted Williams in the closing seconds of the half, his fourth interception of the season, preserving RBC’s 21-14 advantage.
Rivera finished 10-for-15 for 144 yards and a touchdown, adding 51 rushing yards and another score on five carries. Kennedy caught four passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, while Berecsky added four receptions for 43 yards.
Kemp helped RBC extend its lead in the third quarter. A 34-yard run pushed the sophomore past 1,000 rushing yards for the season, and he capped the possession with a 3-yard touchdown to make it 28-14.
Kemp carried 32 times for 256 yards, averaging eight yards per attempt, and reached 3,000 rushing yards for his high school career. Behind Kemp and Rivera, the Caseys piled up 318 rushing yards and 462 yards of total offense.
One week after suffering a 51-13 loss to Donovan Catholic in Toms River, RFH was determined not to suffer a second straight rout.
Williams connected with Moore and Michael Capra to move the Bulldogs downfield, then powered into the end zone on a 5-yard quarterback run. RFH entered the fourth quarter trailing 28-21. Hunter Beattie provided a defensive spark with a thunderous hit on Kemp that forced a fumble, although RBC recovered to avoid a turnover. Beattie finished with four tackles, a sack and a forced fumble.
When RFH regained possession, Williams continued to attack through the air. A downfield completion to Capra and a fourth-down connection with Spoonire helped keep the Bulldogs moving. Facing another fourth down, Williams delivered a gutsy 10-yard touchdown pass to Capra, who caught it with one foot in the end zone. With 7:02 remaining, the Bulldogs had rallied to tie the game at 28.
Capra finished with 10 catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Spoonire added eight receptions for 94 yards, Moore caught four passes for 73 yards and a score, and Izzo contributed five catches for 48 yards.
RBC answered with a methodical drive, using another key reception by Kennedy to move into field goal range while working time off the clock. The Bulldogs held the Caseys to a field-goal attempt, but Picinich converted from 27 yards to regain the lead with 1:47 left.
Williams had no timeouts and 80 yards between RFH and a winning touchdown. On fourth down, he found Jason Tucker for a 45-yard gain, bringing the Bulldogs to the RBC 14-yard line with 52 seconds remaining. RFH ultimately lined up for a 31-yard field goal to force overtime. The kick had the distance but missed just left, ending a dramatic comeback bid.
Williams completed 29 of 54 passes for 387 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. He added 29 rushing yards and a touchdown, accounting for 416 of RFH’s 432 yards of total offense.
Scaturro led RBC’s defense with 14 tackles and a sack. Tartamella and Jordan Mosenthine each recorded 10 tackles, with Mosenthine making three tackles for loss. The Caseys held RFH to 45 rushing yards on 25 attempts. Jaden Cavise led the Bulldogs with 11 tackles. Izzo and Ben Gredell each added nine, with Gredell recording two tackles for loss.
The victory sends RBC into a showdown at Donovan Catholic with major implications for the Shore’s top ranking and Non-Public B playoff seeding (check out Game of the Week preview for more details on one of the biggest games in New Jersey). Rumson-Fair Haven will look to rebound at home against Brick Memorial after pushing the Caseys to the closing seconds of a memorable rivalry battle.
The article originally appeared in the October 15 – 21, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
