The Stars Are Born: Freshmen Rahmir Rivera, Gabe Kemp Help RBC End TR North’s Winning Streak

RED BANK – The hype is real. 

Highly touted Red Bank Catholic freshman quarterback Rahmir Rivera and tailback Gabe Kemp had a hand in every touchdown in their varsity debut and the defense turned in a goose egg as the Caseys, ranked No. 3 in the Shore Sports Insider Top 12, toppled No. 1 Toms River North 21-0 in the season opener on Thursday night. 

RBC ended Toms River North’s 19-game winning streak, which was the longest active streak in New Jersey, as Rivera threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score at Count Basie Field. Kemp, who has been teammates with Rivera since they were 11, had a touchdown of his own while running for 83 yards on 23 carries and catching two passes for 64 yards in the win. 

“I had a lot of nerves going through my body,” Kemp said. “I didn’t even want the ball at first because I wanted to see how (Toms River North) could play. I was real nervous. It was more the atmosphere, everyone being there. At youth football games, there’s not a lot of people there. Everyone came out today and supported, and it got me a little nervous, but once I got in the game, I just calmed down.” 

“I was so nervous, like beyond nervous,” Rivera said. “I had to listen to music from the time I woke up to the game. I felt a little pressure because everybody’s expecting me to be this great player, but my dad told me to just be me. At the end of the day, it’s just a football game.” 

Rivera was 8-for-10 for 155 yards, two touchdowns and an interception in the game. He is believed to be the first freshman to start a varsity game at quarterback in RBC’s 98-year history. 

“I think on a stage like this, they obviously did well, but I think it’s also a credit to the veteran guys around them,” RBC coach Mike Lange said about the freshmen. “You become comfortable with them, and they’re one of us. Obviously the talent’s there, but I think this game wasn’t too big for them, as you see. Obviously they make you look smart with a couple calls. This has been the whole thing all summer is kind of gelling together.” 

The Caseys (1-0) built a 21-0 lead at halftime on their way to handing the three-time defending Group 5 champions their first shutout loss since 2021. It marked their first loss overall since falling to RBC in overtime in 2023. Toms River North was debuting a host of new starters after graduating one of the best senior classes in program history. 

“We just made critical mistakes at critical moments tonight, and you’re not beating anybody that’s a good football team, and I think they’re a good football team,” Toms River North head coach Dave Oizerowitz said.

“Welcome to Varsity” Moment  

On RBC’s opening drive, Rivera took a booming hit from All-Shore Toms River North linebacker Jack Baker on a 5-yard run on the third play of the game. 

“That was like my ‘welcome to varsity’ moment,” Rivera said. “It happens to everybody. I can’t let that affect me. It’s part of football.” 

He shook it off to convert a pair of third-and-longs before RBC’s drive fizzled out. However, the Caseys got the ball right back when sophomore defensive end Asher Cummins knocked it loose from new Toms River North quarterback Logan Brill on a dropback for a two-yard loss on third down to kill the Mariners’ ensuing drive. 

On RBC’s first play of the next drive, Rivera threw a dime to streaking senior wide receiver Daniel Zabora on a post route for a 48-yard touchdown and a 7-0 lead with 3:13 left in the first quarter. 

“He’s a beast,” Zabora said about Rivera. “He’s going to be a problem for a while.” 

“Everybody knew he could throw it, he could spin it, but we came away trying to take away the short game,” Oizerowitz said. “He made a good throw. We busted coverage and made a few easy throws for him, but the one throw, the first touchdown, was a hell of a throw.” 

 

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The score remained that way until RBC put together a five-play, 81-yard drive to make it 14-0. Rivera drew some oohs from the crowd when he shook off a sack and hit senior wideout Johnny Williams, who made a sensational, 25-yard catch along the sideline. Kemp then broke off two runs for 28 yards before Rivera showed his speed to the edge with a nine-yard scamper to the corner of the end zone with 4:53 left in the half. 

A Pivotal Swing

Toms River North then drove the ball to the RBC 46-yard line and went for it on fourth-and-2 with barely a minute left in the half. RBC junior linebacker Luke Scaturro hit Mariners junior Cole Garrison for a one-yard loss, and the Caseys made Toms River North pay for that decision. 

“I think the game could’ve went a different way if we didn’t go for it at the end of the second quarter, and it’s 14-0,” Oizerowitz said. “It was a risky move. We knew it. I kind of regret it for sure, but we were trying to take a chance, gain momentum going into the third, getting the ball back in the third, but in retrospect not a good decision by me.” 

Two plays later, Rivera hit Kemp with a swing pass out of the backfield and he beat a defender and raced down the sideline for a 53-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead with 53 seconds left in the half. 

“Our coach said we’re going to go down and score,” Kemp said. “He’s like, ‘Gabe, the play is wide open.’ He told me to stay outside, so I stayed outside and trusted my speed.” 

“I didn’t think (the play) was going to do all that, but once he gets out in space, I got my money on him any time,” Rivera said. “He’s the best running back in the state.” 

The win also marked the debut of yet another promising RBC freshman, kicker/punter Simon Picinich. He was 3-for-3 on extra points, boomed multiple touchbacks and hit two punts that Toms River North fumbled and RBC recovered. He has shown field-goal range of up to 55 yards in practice. 

A Grinding Second Half

The two defenses turned the second half into a grinding affair that worked in RBC’s favor with a three-score lead. A scoreless third quarter featured a combined five turnovers.

Zabora made a great interception in which he tipped the ball to himself with one hand, while Garrison picked off a pass from Rivera that he lobbed into double coverage. 

“Everything was going to be a grind for them, that was our thing,” Lange said. “If they were going to score, it wasn’t going to be a home run shot. Collectively we tackled really well, which is always a little nerve-racking in game one.” 

Toms River North compiled 205 yards of offense in the game, but RBC’s defense would not give in. The Mariners’ were debuting new quarterback Logan Brill, a junior filling the shoes of graduated All-Shore quarterback T.J. Valerio. Brill alternated snaps with Garrison, who was used as a running option out of the wildcat formation and ended up with 14 carries for 51 yards. 

“We didn’t anticipate doing that,” Oizerowitz said about using Garrison so frequently. “It was even a surprise to me. It was just the way the flow of the game kind of went. Those guys will split there, and they will kind of evolve as the season goes along.” 

“Stopping that power run in the wildcat was a big part of it,” Zabora said. 

The RBC defense and special teams came up with four turnovers, including a pair of fumble recoveries by sophomore Tyce Portera and junior Joe Egan on muffed punts in the second half. 

It made the struggles on offense a moot point. 

“We started to ease up because we were up by 21 points,” Rivera said. “We thought everything was over, but we need to finish the game next time.” 

Toms River North had one last chance to make it interesting when it drove to RBC’s 4-yard line with six minutes left in the game. The Caseys came up with a stop on fourth-and-goal when Garrison was ruled out of bounds on a catch in the end zone to all but seal the win. 

After a frustrating 6-4 season against a tough schedule last year, RBC was eager to show right away that it looks to regain its Shore supremacy. 

“I think there’s a new No. 1 in the Shore now,” Zabora said. 

What’s Next for Both Teams? 

RBC welcomes Delaware power Middletown to Count Basie Field on Sept. 5 looking for a little payback after losing to them on the road last season. 

Toms River North will look to regroup in a nondivisional game against rival Toms River East (1-0) on Sept. 5. 

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