By Rich Chrampanis
FIELD OF DREAMS
RBC did not have the luxury of being able to run practice at Count Basie Stadium as the facility awaits the installation of new turf. The Caseys adjusted by moving next door to the baseball field and running early morning practice on the turf. RBC also uses a grass practice field on White Road in Little Silver. When temperatures reached dangerous levels last week, RBC made the move to 7 a.m. practices to keep the athletes safe as they prepare for the season.
The Caseys are accustomed to being in the conversation as the best team in the Shore Conference. That’s still the case, but this season RBC is chasing Wall and Donovan Catholic instead of being chased. The Caseys were placed in the Constitution Division, the third rung in the Shore’s new ladder of placing top teams for competitive balance. After a 4-2 2020 season that saw RBC shut down two times due to COVID, the entire team is eager and grateful to see what they can accomplish in a full season.
“COVID cutting the season short just messed up our flow,” senior Jaidin Hayes said. “I’m happy with the way we got through that. This season there’s no excuses.”
RIVALS BECOME TEAMMATES
Over the last three years, RBC’s fiercest rival was Ma- ter Dei Prep. The Caseys won a state title against the Seraphs at MetLife Stadium in 2018; Mater Dei got revenge in the state playoffs in 2019 and last year it was RBC opening 2020 with a 10-3 win at home.
Following the retirement of Mater Dei coach Dino Mangiero, there was a mass exodus of Seraph football players transferring to other schools. A team that had become a fixture in the state rankings over the last six years shockingly announced that there would be no varsity football at Mater Dei in 2021.
“It was really weird with coach Mangiero leaving,” senior Rajahn Cooper said. “He brought us all together. Once he left, it scrambled things. Everybody moved around and had to find better places for themselves.”
One year ago, quarterback Alex Brown, two-way standout Cooper, and lineman Ashton Mejias were the enemy. Now, the trio will play their senior season at Red Bank Catholic.
“It’s a lot different than what I’m used to,” Brown said. “It’s a family environment. It’s a great team, a great group of guys. It already feels like a home, honestly. It’s not that different.”
RECRUITING IN THE POST-COVID ERA
RBC continues its tradition of placing players in college football programs. QB Brown is already committed to Bucknell while 6-foot-6-inch Vince Carpenter was the Shore’s first FBS commit when he chose the Purdue Boilermakers. One of the highest-profile recruits in the state is senior Alex Bauman. The tight end/defensive end who was an all-state performer as a junior has nine offers, headlined by Notre Dame and Rutgers, but is being forced to play the waiting game as other teams contact him. With the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility to athletes due to the COVID-affected 2020 season, Bauman is staying patient through the process. Watching the way he conducts himself as a leader and his ability to dominate on both sides of the ball, it’s not a question of if but when he becomes the next Casey to carve a path to big-time college football.
“A lot of people are telling me not to worry about it too much,” Bauman said. “They say you’ll find the right place and it will be good.”
TEAM BONDING AT ENZO’S
The Portella family has been serving pizza in Oceanport for 37 years. But Enzo’s Pizza and Subs, their restaurant, will be a little short-handed Friday nights in the fall when junior running back/linebacker Sabino and sophomore OL/ DL Lorenzo take the field for the Caseys.
Sabino is coming off a summer where he earned All-American honors at the Under 16 Freestyle wrestling nationals in Fargo, North Dakota. He’ll be a rare two-way starter in non-public football and enjoy his time eating pizza at the family restaurant before going back to cutting weight for wrestling this winter.
“During wrestling season, one of the main things is usually to cut out the carbs,” Sabino said. “It’s kind of hard when you have a 260-pound lineman who’s coming home with 12-inch chicken parm subs. But he (dad) makes me some grilled chicken. He seasons it so it’s not that bad.”
One thing that was taken away in the COVID football season of 2020 was the chance for teams to bond. The Portella’s and four of their Casey teammates had a bunch of laughs and bonding conversations as they put away an entire pizza along with two bowls of pasta, chicken parmesan and a plateful of meatballs.
GAME WEEK
The Caseys had a final dress rehearsal at Monmouth University last Friday against Holy Spirit, a team that will contend for the Non-Public “B” state championship this fall. The Caseys first-string unit played three quarters and trailed 19-7 but were not discouraged by the result. Coach Mike Lange knew that his team would benefit from watching the film against a top team which would help them when the games really count.
Red Bank Catholic quickly turned the page from the scrim- mage. The Caseys travel to Ocean City Saturday to face Tim- ber Creek in the Battle at the Beach. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
This article originally appeared in the Aug. 26 – Sept. 1, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
