Red Bank Catholic is the Week 7 Jersey Mike’s Football Team of the Week
Shore Sports Insider is proud to partner with Jersey Mike’s this fall to present our weekly Football Team of the Week award that recognizes one school’s accomplishments during the prior week.
The Jersey Mike’s Shore Conference Football Team of the Week for Week 7 is Red Bank Catholic, which earned a massive bounce-back victory by walloping state-ranked No. 14 Paramus Catholic, 42-14, at a crucial juncture of the season. Shore Sports Insider stopped by practice on Wednesday to present the Caseys and head coach Mike Lange with a special game ball and a $500 Jersey Mike’s gift card for a team meal.
Photo credit: Steve Meyer.
Red Bank Catholic entered Week 7 sitting at 3-3 after a loss to rival Rumson-Fair Haven and was set to welcome Paramus Catholic to Count Basie Field for another challenging game. The Paladins also entered at 3-3 but ranked No. 14 in the state by NJ.com with a great schedule that includes wins over St. Peter’s Prep, Pope John and No. 9 St. Thomas Aquinas and defeats to No. 4 St. Joseph (Montvale), No. 2 DePaul and No. 1 Bergen Catholic.
RBC jumped on top 7-0 with a 21-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Frankie Williams to junior wideout Daniel Zabora but Paramus Catholic returned the ensuing kickoff for a touchdown to pull within 7-6. From there, the Caseys took over with 28 straight points in the second quarter en route to a blowout victory. Williams tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Matt Lonczak, a 17-yard touchdown pass to Zabora and ran for a touchdown as the lead ballooned to 21 points. Junior Johnny Williams returned a punt for a touchdown to give RBC a 35-7 halftime lead. The Williams brothers then connected on an 8-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter.
Frankie Williams completed 13 of 20 passes for 201 yards and four touchdowns and ran for 36 yards and a touchdown. Johnny Williams caught four passes for 95 yards and a touchdown and returned a punt 60 yards for a score. Zabora had five receptions for 65 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior linebacker Patrick McGonnell continued his strong senior season with 8 tackles, an interception, 2 tackles for loss and a forced fumble to lead the defense. Seniors Jamie Gutridge and Carmine Tartamella recovered fumbles, sophomore Kieran McGonnell recorded a hit for a loss and sophomore Lorenzo Tartamella blocked a kick. Junior kicker Blake Caruso went 6-for-6 on extra points to continue his excellent season.
The victory put the Caseys back over .500 and had a profound impact on their standing in the Non-Public B United Power Rankings. RBC entered the week 13th but jumped up to No. 9 after the win over Paramus Catholic. The Caseys are the defending Non-Public B state champions, have reached three straight state finals and have won two championships in the past three seasons. Despite some of their struggles this season, Week 7’s dominant win showed they should not be counted out.
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