Winners from Red Bank Catholic-Mater Dei

Red Bank Catholic and Mater Dei Prep played to a defensive showdown in Red Bank Catholic’s 10-3 victory Friday night in the season opener for both teams. The victory avenged a 10-3 loss to Mater Dei Prep in last year’s NJSIAA Non-Public Group 3 semifinal game. There wasn’t much scoring but there were some notable performances. Let’s take a look at who made an impact in the defensive battle. <strong>Sabino Portella, Red Bank Catholic, So. LB</strong> – Portella made the biggest play of the night when he recovered a fumble at the RBC 9-yard line with 1:39 left to lift the team to the 10-3 victory. Mater Dei appeared as if it would send the game to overtime, but then a high snap bounced off quarterback [player_tooltip player_id="28007" first="Alex" last="Brown"] and Portella was able to recover the fumble and put the finishing touches on the huge win. This came after RBC stopped Mater Dei on three rushing attempts from inside the one. <strong>Michael O’Connor, Red Bank Catholic, Sr. K</strong> – O’Connor booted a 25-yard field goal that gave RBC a 3-0 lead with 6:37 remaining in the first quarter. The field goal was after RBC recovered a fumbled punt at the Mater Dei 8-yard line. <strong>Najih Rahman, Red Bank Catholic, So. WR</strong> – Rahman caught six passes for 92 yards, including a pivotal 20-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Anthony Borriello that gave RBC a 10-0 lead with 8:19 left in the first half. He made a 48-yard reception on that drive. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="41625" first="Ra’Jahn" last="Cooper"], Mater Dei Prep, Jr. RB</strong> – Cooper was the main spark on offense for Mater Dei Prep, totaling 86 yards on the ground on 19 carries. <strong>Jake Jacobson, Mater Dei Prep, Jr. K</strong> – Jacobson connected on a 25-yard field goal in the third quarter. It would be Mater Dei Prep’s only points of the night.