The Jersey Shore Football Elite Making a Difference

It’s called the Jersey Shore Elite Football Clinic.

What makes it elite?

Darryl Jackson, Keyron Sheard, A.J. Roque, Mike Kelly and a host of other former Jersey Shore football stand-outs  who are giving  their time to nurture the next generation of Jersey Shore football players.

Fifty-five kids ranging in age from 8-16 participated in the one-day clinic held on Sunday at the Count Basie Field. The brainchild of Ricky Brandt, who played football for Red Bank Regional High School and graduated in 2007 the football clinic, is an extension of the basketball clinic he started two years ago.

“I love sports and I like seeing kids have a great time,” Brandt, who graduated from Kean University and now works with the NFL Jets organization, said. “It’s an inspiration to see these guys coming back to work with the kids.”

Indeed, to youngsters like Phillip Richardson, 11, these hometown heroes helped him step up his game. “I set a record with a 30-yard punt,” said Richardson about the punt, pass and kick portion of the clinic. Richardson, who attends Red Bank Middle School and cited math as being his favorite subject, will be a sixth-grader in the fall.  

“I learned so many different plays,” said 9-year-old David Hicks, who attends Shrewsbury Borough School. The clinic was open to all kids and that included, 9-year-old Taylor Crystian, who was one of two girls that participated.

Certainly, all the coaches who participated (Jared Chunn, Dickie Davis, Dan DeCristofaro, Andrew Mandeville, Connor O’Leary and Donald Porzio) could relate to the youngsters enthusiasm and excitement on the field because they, too, had been a kid with a dream.

Keyron Sheard was one of those kids. He graduated from RBR in 2005 and was an outstanding athlete on the football field as well as the basketball court. Sheard currently plays professional basketball in Europe. Unlike a number of his peers from high school who were also talented athletes but didn’t stay focused, Sheard did. This was the message he delivered to the gathering of youth - to strive for greatness.

“I knew where I wanted to go in life,” Sheard said. "The streets never fit my mode. In the streets you’re a follower and I wanted to be a leader and be a good example of working hard and going for what you want. If you have a dream you can’t let nobody stop you.”

He credits his mother for being his “superhero” and keeping him out of the streets.  

The elite roster of coaches were more than obliged to give of their time. Mike Kelly graduated from Red Bank Catholic and took his football prowess to Albany University, where as co-captain of the team, helped to lead the school to two Northeastern Conference Championships and was named Most Valuable Player.

“This is a great opportunity to help local kids learn from people who have been through it,” said Kelly, who obtained a Bachelor’s degree in communications.

Rounding out this elite group of athletes was another RBR graduate, Darryl Jackson. He went on to play football for the Kean University Cougars and graduated in 2011 with a Bachelor’s degree in Community Recreation Administration.

However, it was Jackson, who at the nose tackle position put Kean University, located in Union on the map. During his senior year, Jackson was heavily scouted by several NFL teams (Philadelphia Eagles, The New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings and others), which is not the standard for a Division III school, such Kean. The school saw more post season play with Jackson on the squad than the school had seen in over 30 years. Although Jackson was not drafted into the NFL, he relishes the idea of working with youth.

“I got involved because I wanted kids from surrounding areas to know we’re guys who really care about them.”