Del DalPra at Count Basie Park in August, 2021. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
After just nine months on the job, Red Bank parks and recreation director Louis ‘Del’ DalPra is leaving the position.
Del Dal Pra at Count Basie Park, where the stadium football field was prepped for installation of a new surface last week. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Early on in his new job as Red Bank parks and recreation director, Louis ‘Del’ Dal Pra suspected he’d have to make changes that would tick some people off.
Two encounters this spring convinced him he had no choice.
Hot chocolate made with an assist from the sun? The concession stand at Count Basie Fields in Red Bank is set to get a juice boost, thanks to the borough Environmental Commission.
Workers removed the track at Count Basie Fields last week to prepare for the installation of a new surface. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge.)
By JOHN T. WARD
Red Bank Catholic High School will increase its contribution for upgrades at Count Basie Fields under a new cost-sharing arrangement approved by the Red Bank council last month.
Payments by the school, which uses the facility as its home football stadium, will help fund replacement of the cushiony running track, a project that got underway last week.
The student leaders behind the Ridge Road Run 5K, as seen on Ridge Road, are (left to right): RBR senior Michael Eulner, Shrewsbury; sophomore Claudia Kelly, Little Silver; senior Thomas Lloyd, Shrewsbury; RFH senior Ellie Gibney, Fair Haven; RBC senior Lily Salcedo; RFH senior Teddy Sourlis, Rumson; and RBC senior Courtney Carroll, Middletown.
[Press release from Red Bank Regional]
The sports rivalries among three Two River schools are legendary. It is always a super sweet victory when the Red Bank Regional (RBR) Buccaneers can defeat Red Bank Catholic (RBC) Caseys or Rumson Fair Haven’s (RFH) Bulldawgs, and vice versa for all three teams, two of which are located on Ridge Road, and the other not too far away.
However, seven students from all three schools have recently collaborated to use that rivalry to generate a very positive event.
In local high school football action Friday night, undefeated Saint John Vianney of Holmdel continued its 2016 juggernaut with a 28-3 win at Rumson-Fair Haven, which fell to 3-2.
Meanwhile, on the road against Long Branch, Red Bank Catholic went to the air to produce a 35-20 win that improved the Caseys’ record to 4-2. Third-string quarterback Nick Brusca found his groove as a thrower, tossing his first — and second, third and fourth — touchdown passes of his varsity career while racking up 206 air yards.
Rich Chrampanis and crew have the highlights of those games and more at Shore Sports Zone. (Video courtesy of Shore Sports Zone)
Rich Chrampanis and the video cameras of Shore Sports Zone once again delivered video highlights of some great Monmouth and Ocean county high school football games this weekend.
Rich Chrampanis and the video cameras of Shore Sports Zone got to seven rainy games in Monmouth and Ocean counties Friday night, starting at Middletown South, where the Eagles hosted Rumson-Fair Haven in a matchup of unbeaten 2016 state champs. In the end, a missed point-after-touchdown, lost fumbles and a swarming Eagles defense made the difference in the 14-13 outcome, with the Eagles now 4-0.
Across the river at Count Basie Field, Red Bank Catholic played host to Colonia, and quickly established dominance on a fumble recovery that led to a one-yard TD. Third-string QB Nick Brusca was dominant, posting three running TDs. Final score: 35-0.
As previously reported, the Holmdel v. Red Bank Regional game scheduled for Friday at Little Silver was postponed due to illness on the Holmdel squad.
(Video courtesy of Shore Sports Zone)
New security measures will go into effect at Borden Stadium beginning with tonight’s football game, school officials said. (Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional football fans, stripped of their signs and giant heads for the first home game of the season, won’t be able to bring backpacks and bottles to the second and future games, school officials announced Thursday.
Citing last weekend’s bombing spree in Seaside Heights, New York City and Elizabeth, school officials have imposed new restrictions at Borden Stadium, officials said in a letter sent to community members Thursday.
Former RFH head football coach Bryan Batchler, seen here working out with college players at Red Bank’s Count Basie Fields in June. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Ousted Rumson-Fair Haven Regional football coach Bryan Batchler has resigned as a teacher in a secret settlement with the school, redbankgreen has learned.
In a statement issued Thursday, the school’s board of education said it had accepted Batchler’s resignation on August 9.
Rumson-Fair Haven senior James Rue before the start of Tuesday night’s school board meeting. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
A Rumson-Fair Haven Regional senior wants the school to drop a ban on student use of cellphones in school hallways between classes.
James Rue, 17, of Fair Haven, presented the school’s board of education with a petition Tuesday night calling for changes to the policy, which administrators said is being enforced anew after some unintended laxity.
Students, however, contend the crackdown was triggered by an incident last year in which a male student took “upskirt” videos of female students in stairwells without their knowledge.
Sportscaster Rich Chrampanis and the video cameras of Shore Sports Zone are once again seemingly everywhere as this highlight reel from the the opening weekend of year 2016 high school football on the Greater Red Bank Green illustrates.
Former R-FH head football coach Bryan Batchler at Tuesday’s board meeting. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Five months after former Rumson-Fair Haven Regional football coach Bryan Batchler was cleared of criminal wrongdoing over alleged inappropriate contact with a student, several dozen supporters demanded Tuesday night that he be reinstated.
Batchler, who has been on paid administrative leave from teaching for eight months and was stripped of his coaching job in February, told redbankgreen that Superintendent Pete Righi is now trying to oust him, via a tenure-revocation case, from the job he’s held since 2008. More →
Christian Brothers Academy pitcher Luca Dalatri broke the all-time Shore Conference wins record with a complete-game shutout against Middletown South in Lakewood Wednesday. Shore Sports Zone has full highlights and post-game coverage of the Colts’ 2-0 win for their third consecutive Shore Conference baseball championship.
The right-handed Dalatri now has 35 victories, and is expected to be selected during the MLB Amateur Draft which begins on Thursday night.
Christian Brothers Academy held off Red Bank Catholic, 5-3, to advance to the Shore Conference final in a great high school baseball game at Count Basie Field in Red Bank Wednesday night.
CBA pitcher Luca Dalatri tied the all-time conference wins record with 34, but it didn’t come without a scare. Entering the game having given up just one run and two walks all season, the right-hander ceded two hits and three RBIs to Evan Madigan alone, and had to get out of a bases-loaded jam in the seventh to pick up the complete game victory. Shore Sports Zone has all the highlights.
CBA will now face Middletown South Sunday night at the home of the Lakewood Blue Claws. (Video courtesy of Shore Sports Zone.)
Red Bank Catholic’s Mike Veit hit a deep ball to centerfield with the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Caseys a walk-off win over Notre Dame and in the Non-Public “A” South quarterfinals at Count Basie Fields Tuesday. John Poccia pitched nine shutout innings for the win. Watch highlights and post-game reaction from a great post-season game at Shore Sports Zone. (Video courtesy of Shore Sports Zone.)
After seven seasons at the helm and a state championship under his belt, Red Bank Catholic head football coach Jim Portela has resigned. Check out Shore Sports Zone for the full story. (Image courtesy of Shore Sports Zone)
In on of 21 games in 10 locations to help raise money for autism, Red Bank Catholic fell to Barnegat, 4-3, at Count Basie Field Saturday night. Shore Sports Zone has the highlights and post-game. (Video courtesy of Shore Sports Zone.)
Red Bank Catholic’s Aaron Ahn launched a walk-off home run to left to give the Caseys a 4-3 win against Wall Township at at Count Basie Field Thursday. Shore Sports Zone has the highlights and post-game. (Video courtesy of Shore Sports Zone.)
Former R-FH head football coach Bryan Batchler. (Photo courtesy of Shore Sports Zone. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Ousted Rumson-Fair Haven football coach Bryan Batchler has been cleared of criminal wrongdoing for what his attorney said were allegations of an inappropriate relationship with student.
“The evidence was insufficient to support criminal charges,”acting Monmouth County Prosecutor Christopher Gramiccioni said in a prepared statement reported by the Asbury Park Press Wednesday. “However, we referred the matter to the New Jersey Department of Education Investigations Unit for any administrative investigation or other action within their jurisdiction to conduct.”
“Essentially, Coach Batchler was falsely accused of criminal conduct and the prosecutor’s office didn’t even find that there was probable cause to believe that any criminal conduct was committed,” Batchler’s attorney, Mitch Ansell, said in a statement.
New head football coach Jerry Schulte at Tuesday’s R-FH board of ed meeting, where his appointment was approved. (Photo by John T. Ward. Click to enlarge)
By JOHN T. WARD
Without so much as a murmur from the sparse audience, Rumson-Fair Haven Regional’s board of education named a new football coach Tuesday night — while remaining mum on the ouster of the last one.
Jerry Schulte, who spent the last decade running the defense for the high-achieving Bulldogs, was chosen by the board to replace Bryan Batchler, who was put on administrative leave in December for unexplained reasons and was later removed as coach.
Skating on home ice at the Red Bank Armory, Red Bank Catholic topped Ocean Township 4-2 Wednesday. Shore Sports Zone has the video highlights, including a slow-mo review of a shot that Ocean contended went through the net and should have counted as a goal. The Caseys advance to the semifinals of the Shore Conference Tournament. (Video courtesy of Shore Sports Zone)
Standout athletes from the golf, soccer and swimming programs at Red Bank Catholic formalized big decisions about their futures Wednesday. Shore Sports Zone was there, and has extensive coverage of signing day across Monmouth and Ocean counties.
Six members of the Red Bank Catholic football squad made or reaffirmed college commitments Wednesday. Shore Sports Zone was there.
Former Rumson-Fair Haven Regional head football coach Bryan Batchler led the team to its third straight state sectional football championship in December. (Image courtesy of Shore Sports Zone)
By JOHN T. WARD
Six weeks after he was put on leave for undisclosed reasons, Bryan Batchler is expected to be replaced as head football coach at Rumson-Fair Haven Regional, redbankgreen has learned.
Batchler, who led the Bulldogs to their third consecutive state sectional title with a win over Red Bank Regional on December 5, was placed on leave by Superintendent Pete Righi just nine days later. Righi has repeatedly declined to say what prompted the suspension or provide any details about the situation, citing the confidentiality of a personnel matter.
Now, however, the school needs to find a coach for the upcoming season, Righi said in a prepared statement Tuesday.