Red Bank Catholic Survives Holmdel in Back-and-Forth Shore Showdown

photo & coverage by: Antonio Morales

In a game that lived up to every bit of the hype, Red Bank Catholic outlasted Holmdel 29-28 in a battle that decided early control of the Shore Conference A-North division. The Friday night thriller featured nearly 700 yards of combined offense, multiple lead changes, and came down to the narrowest of margins — a missed extra point.

It was RBC’s freshman duo of Rahmir Rivera and Gabe Kemp who stole the show under the lights. Rivera, the Caseys’ QB, threw for 233 yards and 2 touchdowns while adding a short rushing score. Kemp — the explosive freshman running back — churned out 185 yards on the ground, including the game-winning 48-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

But Holmdel didn’t make it easy. Led by standout quarterback Jack Cannon, the Hornets traded punches all night. Cannon threw for 213 yards and a touchdown, while also rushing for 92 yards and three scores of his own — including a pair of physical 1-yard plunges that kept Holmdel within reach.

After a first-quarter safety got Holmdel on the board, the second quarter saw a flurry of action. Cannon found Carmine Aliperti to briefly give Holmdel the lead before RBC answered with a 27-yard connection from Rivera to Jason Berecsky. Cannon’s short TD run just before the half made it 15-14 Holmdel at the break.

The third quarter brought more fireworks, with Daniel Zabora hauling in a 14-yard TD from Rivera, and Rivera converting the two-point pass to TJ Walsh. Holmdel came right back — again with Cannon punching it in — to knot the game at 22-22.

In the fourth, it was Kemp’s moment.The freshman broke through the left side and raced 48 yards to the end zone, giving RBC a 29-22 lead with under six minutes remaining. Cannon would again find the end zone for his third rushing TD of the game — an 11-yard keeper — but Holmdel's extra point attempt sailed wide, leaving the Hornets still trailing by one with just minutes to go.

RBC’s defense — anchored by Luke Scaturro and Kieran McGonnell, who combined for 22 tackles — held firm in the final moments to seal the victory and move the Caseys to 5-0 on the year.

After the win, Gabe Kemp spoke on what the game meant to him and the program:

“I came back to the Shore because I wanted to make an instant impression and impact when I decided to go to RBC and really help put them back at the top in the Shore.

I’m a team player before anything but I’m a competitive person and I wanted to be a player that my team felt that they can count on from Day 1 freshman season — that when my number was called, I can make things happen. Every week I’ve been building more and more confidence and my teammates trust me.

I felt like we were looked at as the underdogs in the game against Holmdel so it was important to me to really make a statement in that game, and I wanted the ball in my hands in that moment when I scored that touchdown to go ahead in the game.Holmdel is a great team, but I really feel like we have something special this season and I’m happy to be here and a part of building RBC back to a power — not just in the Shore, but in NJ all together.”

Red Bank Catholic improves to 5-0 and now takes full control of the Shore’s A-North division. The Caseys will look to continue their climb in the statewide rankings as they build behind a young core that’s already proving to be battle-tested.