Red Bank Catholic Handles Southern in Opener

When Red Bank Catholic found out it was ranked number one in a local media’s guide of the top high school football teams in the region, Caseys head coach Jim Portela said he received about 100 text messages congratulating him.

He appreciated the thought, he said, but congratulations for what?

On Friday night, Red Bank Catholic took the first step towards fulfilling those lofty, yet still mostly empty, preseason expectations by defeating Southern Regional on the road in its season opener 28-7 in a Shore Conference matchup.

After falling behind by a score in the first quarter, the Caseys responded by scoring a touchdown of their own on the very next offensive play. It only got easier from there as the Caseys added three more touchdowns of their own while not allowing the Rams to score in the final three quarters.

“I thought we played very well, after the first quarter,” Portela said. “The kids were a little jacked up and were trying to make big plays. I think after that first score we settled down a bit, and our offense helped us a lot with that.”

Caseys senior quarterback Ryan Spahr through three touchdown passes, Red Bank Catholic’s first three scores of the game, including a 67-yard pass to fellow senior Doug Whitlock.

In the second quarter, Spahr connected on two more touchdown passes with Greg Golden, for 13 yards, and James Taylor, for 16 yards. Running back Chris Donald capped the scoring with a 48-yard run in the final quarter.

After a long day and a long bus ride, Portela said Red Bank Catholic came out flat in the first quarter. After that first score, however, the defense stepped up and helped control the tempo for the rest of the game.

Though expectations are high this season, Portela said his team is capable of rising to the challenge.

“I don’t think there’s any pressure,” he said. “We have our own expectations and we’re not worried about what anyone else has to say. Some of that (expectations) might get into your head, but I can tell you we’ve got a lot of focus.”

The Caseys next face Neptune, Friday, at home at the Count Basie Fields in Red Bank.