By Rich Chrampanis
RED BANK – Every championship team has a compelling story but the Red Bank Catholic 2021 football state champs has a tale of inspiration that will last for many years. And Friday night the team dedicated a bench at Count Basie Field to forever commemorate the inspiring person behind the amazing Caseys state title run.
On the eve of the 2021 state playoffs, Michelle Brown, mother of then-RBC quarterback Alex Brown, passed away after a 15-year battle with breast cancer. The following day, Alex threw six touchdown passes and ran for two more scores in RBC’s 58-34 win over Morris Catholic in the opening round of the Non-Public “B” state playoffs.
Following that performance, Alex posted a video clip from one of his touchdown runs. By the end of the weekend, the post had gone viral and had been viewed over a million times, with ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and others sharing it. Tom Brady, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback, was just one of the countless people around the world who showed support and love for the RBC quarterback.
“It was a shock. I literally went to sleep just saying ‘I love you, Mom’ and I posted that,” Alex said last year in a Two River Times feature. “I woke up in the morning with thousands of DMs and texts with stories about losing a parent and cancer. Then I got calls from Fox, CBS and Sports Illustrated. In my head, I’m thinking this has to be Mom. Something inspired people and something is inspiring the world. I think this is all from my mom and her doing. Even though I played a great game, this is her tribute.”
From there, the Caseys went on to defeat St. Joseph Academy and Depaul Catholic to win the Non-Public “B” state championship at MetLife Stadium. Alex is now a freshman quarterback at Bucknell University.
Allyson Zenkert, an RBC football parent, had the idea of dedicating a bench in Michelle Brown’s name at the stadium. Zenkert organized a fundraiser and got approval from the Red Bank Department of Public Works to have a permanent reminder of the inspiration behind the 2021 Caseys state championship run.
“All of the RBC families were so touched by the Brown’s situation and we just wanted the family to know how Michelle’s memory would be in our hearts for much longer than just a football season,” Zenkert said. “So we did anything we could to bring that to fruition for her, Ray and the boys.”
The plaque on the bench is inscribed “Michelle ‘Mama’ Brown – remembered with love by the RBC Casey football family 2021 state champions.”
It was fitting the bench was dedicated prior to the Caseys’ game against rival Rumson-Fair Haven: Markus Brown, Alex’s younger brother and a junior tight end and defensive end for the Bulldogs, was part of the special ceremony. The last game Michelle Brown attended in person was last year’s RBC/RFH game at Borden Stadium and Two River Times Field when the Brown brothers played against each other.
“What a special tribute to Michelle to have this bench dedicated to her,” said Ray Brown, Michelle’s husband. “RBC is a special family and Ally Zenkert is a special person to make this happen. The Brown family would also like to thank the Red Bank DPW and the Count Basie staff as they all made this happen.”
High School Football Playoffs
Begin This Week
The public school football playoffs begin Friday night. The non-public schools wrap up regular season this week. Red Bank Regional missed out on the post-season but qualified for the new Regional Invitational Tournament, giving the Bucs the potential to play three consolation games.
Friday
Regular Season
Curtis (NY) at Red Bank Catholic, 7 p.m.
St. Thomas Aquinas at Saint John Vianney, 7 p.m.
Regional Invitational Tournament
South Group 4
Princeton at Red Bank Regional, 7 p.m.
NSIAA Playoffs
North 2 Group 4
(8) Middletown North at (1) North Hunterdon
Central Group 4
(8) Cherry Hill West at (1) Middletown South
South Group 2
(7) Monmouth Regional at (2) Rumson-Fair Haven
South Group 1
(5) Shore Regional at (4) Manville
Saturday
Central Group 4
(5) Winslow Township at (4) Colts Neck, noon
The article originally appeared in the October 27 – November 2, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
