‘This Is Meant to Be’: Brick Memorial’s Na’Zeer Whittaker Stars in Honor of His Late Grandmother

As Brick Memorial senior Na’Zeer Whittaker lined up to receive the second-half kickoff in last week’s sectional final, the emotional events of the past 24 hours started churning in his mind. 

One day earlier, he had lost the woman he said was “like another mother” to him. Nadine Hardy, the grandmother who helped raise him, had died at 69 years old on Nov. 13. Now he was trying to focus on helping the Mustangs win their first state title in 17 years. 

Teams haven’t frequently kicked off deep against Brick Memorial this year out of fear of Whittaker’s game-breaking speed. He felt a premonition that Middletown North might give him a shot at the start of the third quarter. 

“Before the kick even happened, I had a feeling in my gut, and I was telling myself, ‘I feel like this is the moment,’” Whittaker said. “Once the kick came my way, my initial thought was, ‘This is meant to be. This is meant to happen.'” 

Whittaker took the ball back 88 yards for a touchdown, electrifying the home crowd at DiFabio Field and all but icing the Mustangs’ eventual 28-0 win over the Lions in the Central Jersey Group 4 final. 

“The whole time I’m running it back, I’m just thinking of my grandmother,” Whittaker said. “I just knew she’s watching down on me, and she’s running right beside me.” 

The kickoff return was one of two touchdowns in the win for the versatile senior. He also finished with 78 yards rushing and a touchdown on 12 carries and had a 12-yard catch. 

“There wasn’t a doubt in my mind that I was going to play in that game,” Whittaker said. “Once (Hardy passed away), my first thought was I have to play this game and win it for her because that’s what she would want me to do – go out there and make history.” 

“It really tore him up, but he was able to dedicate the game to her,” Brick Memorial head coach Walt Currie said. 

Brick Memorial’s first state sectional title since 2008 propelled the Mustangs into Saturday’s Group 4 semifinals against a juggernaut Winslow Township squad. 

After the final whistle against Middletown North, the euphoria of the win collided with the sadness of Whittaker’s loss. 

“It was definitely a lot to process,” he said. “I definitely shed a couple tears, but I had my family there and my closest friends and my teammates to all comfort me. The emotion and the feeling that night was the best thing that I could’ve felt in that possible moment after everything I had been through in the last few days. Us winning that, in my eyes for my grandmother, made it even more special than it already was.” 

Teaching Life Lessons

Whittaker lived in Lakewood and Neptune as a young boy, and his grandmother lived with his family at one point before they moved to Brick 10 years ago. 

“That really built the connection between us,” Whittaker said. “It was her teaching me how to be a young man.” 

Hardy was one of Whittaker’s first role models. 

“She meant absolutely everything to my life,” he said. “She always instilled in me to be that person that works hard, does it the right way and treats others the way you want to be treated.

“The No. 1 thing she always taught me is to believe in God, keep your faith in God, and He will make anything possible. I told myself before that (Middletown North) game that I want to do this for her. I want to make her proud. I had to really keep myself composed because I didn’t want to let my emotions get the best of me. It’s the way she’s taught me and has molded me into a man.” 

‘A Big Part of the Engine’

The senior running back has been a crucial cog in an offensive machine averaging 35 points per game this season with a unit led by the record-setting duo of senior quarterback Jason Lajara and senior wide receiver Nyzier Matthews. 

Whittaker has run for 970 yards and eight touchdowns on an average of 7.9 yards per carry and caught 32 passes for 323 yards and three touchdowns. He averages 8.3 yards every time he touches the ball on offense, while clearly also being a special teams threat. 

Whittaker has drawn FBS interest from Army as a slotback in its triple option offense, and also has gotten interest from Cornell, Sacred Heart and Montclair State, primarily as a running back. 

“He’s a had a great season, and some call him the unsung hero, but he’s a big part of the engine that makes us go,” Currie said. “You can’t just give us a light box and expect us to throw the ball because we can still run the ball with Naz. He does a great job with reading defenses and seeing where a hole is going to open up, and when he gets out in space he has that track speed.”  

Whittaker has made the most of his touches on an offense with a deep group of playmakers that also includes wide receivers Shawn Fowler and Ricky Dillon and tight end Joe Livio. 

“I have that mindset where I feel like any play I touch it I can turn it into six points,” he said. 

Whittaker is also a legitimate receiving threat. He saw time at slot receiver as a junior before Fowler emerged as a weapon in that spot, so he’s not the average running back catching swing passes out of the backfield. 

In a 55-41 regular-season win over Central Jersey Group 3 champion Holmdel, he caught a 51-yard touchdown pass over the shoulder on a bomb from Lajara. 

“I definitely think that sets me apart,” Whittaker said. “I’m able to move to receiver if needed, and that can throw teams for a loop if they haven’t seen that on film or if they didn’t know I can play more than one position. It also gives me more space to work with.” 

The Mustangs (10-2) will need everyone’s skills to be on point when they try to slay Goliath on Saturday against Winslow Township. The Eagles (10-2) have won 23 straight games against public schools and feature a roster dotted with FBS prospects. 

“They’re definitely taking this as a challenge,” Currie said about his team. “(Winslow) is a school that has a bunch of Division 1 prospects and transfers, and we’re half of one town, so our kids have a little bit of a chip on our shoulders this week. We definitely take it as an underdog with the mentality of let’s see where we’re really at against a team the caliber of Winslow.” 

“Nobody is expecting us to win this game, which is fine because we’ve been the underdogs plenty of times this season,” Whittaker said. “I think we’re out to show we’re the only public school team that can hang with Winslow.” 

The Mustangs will once again take the field in memory of one of Whittaker’s biggest fans. 

“I have to do this for her,” Whittaker said. “I just want her to be proud.” 

Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point. 

Email: scottstump25@gmail.com