By doug mckenzie
Staff Writer
FARRAH MAFFAI Red Bank Catholic quarterback Trevor Hawley looks to unload a pass during the Caseys’ Aug. 31 scrimmage with Point Beach.
When Raritan High School and Matawan High School dropped down to the Shore Conference’s Federal Division due to the size of the schools’ enrollment prior to the season, it made an already competitive division even tougher.
With Wall High School and Manasquan High School already certain to be among the top teams in the division, both Raritan and Matawan joined the fray, making things even tougher on the division’s remaining teams.
Among those teams that will face a tough team, week in and week out, is the Red Bank Catholic Caseys, a talented group with a difficult task ahead of it this year.
Fourth-year coach Frank Edgerly has some weapons — that much is certain. Now he just has to figure out how to best utilize those weapons and build a winning team this year. And with the start of the 2002 season just a week away, the coach is running out of time.
Add to the mix the loss of one his key players, and you begin to see why these high school coaches work so hard each fall.
Junior Nick Iadorisi went down with a lacerated spleen last weekend in a scrimmage, and Edgerly said the loss was simply devastating.
"That hurts us a great deal," he said. "Nick was a starting outside linebacker last year, and would have been our starting safety and fullback this year. He is a tremendously talented kid, and we had some very high expectations for him this year."
But Edgerly remains confident that his team can overcome the loss and compete every week.
The Caseys feature a deep backfield, led by senior tailback Dyane Pascall.
"He’s our guy this year, " Edgerly said. "We have a couple of other talented backs, but Dyane will be the featured guy back there for us."
Among some of the other fleet-footed backs the Caseys will throw at opposing defenses are sophomores Donald Brown and Chris Giamo.
In addition, junior Sal Fama, who will replace Iadorisi at the fullback position, will carry the ball quite a bit, with Pascall jumping over to the fullback slot.
Junior Trevor Hawley will be the signal-caller for the Caseys this year, taking over the offense for the first time. Hawley saw some time last year at QB, but mostly in "mop up time," and was mostly used as a wide receiver, according to Edgerly.
Thus far, the coach is pleased with what he’s seen from Hawley.
"He looks pretty good," he said. "He’s been progressing since the start of camp, and should do a fine job for us."
The offensive line is still not completely set yet, but two guys that Edgerly is sure will get starting nods are seniors Robert Occhuizzi and Sean O’Toole. Occhuizzi started at tackle last year, and is described as the best lineman on the team, while O’Toole will return as the starting center.
Another spot the Caseys are very deep at is the wide receiver position, where Edgerly has four players with varsity experience. Seniors Brett Bair, Pat Baechtle and Robert Ruffus, along with junior Keven Martin, all saw some time at receiver last year, and are expected to contribute this year.
Over all, Edgerly is pleased with how his offense has looked thus far.
"So far we look pretty good, and are actually ahead of our defense, which is kind of unique," he said. "Typically it is the other way around, but our offense seems to be clicking pretty well.
"We’ve got a very deep backfield, and those guys have been battling for playing time, which is good. The competition will make us stronger as the season goes along."
Defensively, Edgerly has a few more questions to answer before the start of the season. The defensive line has three players locked in, with Occhuizzi returning to his defensive end position, senior Greg Roonan taking the other end slot after starting as a linebacker last year, and senior Ryan Vrodzicki earning another spot on the line.
The secondary features a pair of returning starters at safety in Bair and Ruffus, while both Brown and Giamo get the nods at the cornerback positions. In addition, sophomore Kyle Brown will see some time at safety.
Edgerly is not through filling in the gaps with his defense yet, but has a strong foundation to work with.
"We have a bunch of returnees back, but we’ve had to move a lot of guys around," he said. "It seems like you clog up one hole and another one opens up, but everybody goes through that, so I think we’ll be okay."
The Caseys open up next Friday with a home game against Manasquan at 7 p.m. They follow that up with an away game against Raritan Sept. 20, before returning home to face Monsignor Donovan Sept. 27.
The early matchup with Manasquan, a perennial contender for a state title, should be a good early season test for the Caseys.
"The last two years we opened with Wall and then Manasquan, so we’re kind of used to it," Edgerly said. "But that isn’t a bad thing."
The Caseys are ready to tackle a tough schedule, which includes nondivision games against a vastly improved Rumson-Fair Haven squad and a tough Colts Neck team. And if they get on a roll early, there’s no telling where it may take them this year.
"I’ve got high expectations, like everyone else," Edgerly said. "I’d like to return to the state playoffs and advance, and make a run at the newly formed parochial playoff. If we can accomplish that it will be a successful year for us."