Reporter: Cameron Woolley
The Red Bank Catholic Caseys put together their most complete performance of the young season in a 44-7 rout on the road over the St. John Vianney Lancers.
The Lancers jumped out to a 7-3 first-quarter lead before RBC responded with 41 unanswered points. Sophomores Rahmir Rivera (QB) and Gabe Kemp (RB) led the way. The duo combined for five touchdowns, with Rivera throwing for three and Kemp rushing for two.
The RBC run game continues to prove it’s the backbone of a high-scoring offense, totaling 241 yards on 31 carries, for 7.7 yards per carry. Kemp ran for 149 yards on 20 carries (7.45 yards per carry). This is, surprisingly, a season-low in yards for Kemp. He had 207 and 214 in his previous two games. This could be due to a brief injury absence in the second half, from which he returned. We await more information on how this affects him long-term. Jake Bickerton, serving as the number two back, logged seven carries for 53 yards and one touchdown.
As for the passing, Rahmir Rivera had another low-volume but efficient outing. He went 13-for-21 with 174 passing yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions. This was a season-high in passing attempts for the sophomore, and the first time he’s passed the 20-attempt mark this year (14 and 19 in the first two games). However, he had a season-low in rushing attempts and yards, with only one carry for three yards, a decrease in volume for him. He had 9 and 5 carries for 42 and 67 yards, respectively, in the first two games. His use as a runner remains to be seen.
Rivera’s 13 completions were spread between seven different pass-catchers, with junior Ethan Kennedy getting three catches for 52 yards and a touchdown. Austin Medley and Jason Berecsky also had scores. Berecsky made an impact on both sides of the ball, snagging an interception to go with his touchdown.
It was a bounce-back performance on defense for the Caseys. After allowing 76 points in their first two games (38 per game), they pitched a shutout following a first-quarter touchdown. They forced two turnovers, the aforementioned Berecsky pick being one, and Michael Bialoblocki grabbing the other interception. The defensive front was powerful as well, totaling four sacks, with Jordan Key getting home twice for three tackles for a loss.
A dominant win for RBC. They head to Manalapan next week to try to make it three wins in a row.
