Asbury Park Press ❚ FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 27, 2019
Sports
HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL
Claire Gaston was encouraged to join the Mater Dei Prep football team by her older sister, who passed away before
getting to see Gaston kick in a game. DOUG HOOD
Kicker playing for
her sister’s memory
Elder sibling encouraged Gaston to join Mater Dei football
Daniel LoGiudice
Asbury Park Press
USA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY
For Claire Gaston, football has taken
on a whole new meaning.
When Gaston, a 17-year-old from
Point Pleasant, was asked to join the
Mater Dei Prep High School football
What to watch as Yanks
close in on the playoffs
Pete Caldera
MLB writer
USA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY
TAMPA, Fla. – Outside of some per-
sonal and team statistical achieve-
ments in sight, the competitive drama is
all but gone as the Yankees enter the fi-
nal weekend of the regular season.
The Houston Astros are on the verge
of clinching the AL’s best record – they
own a magic number of one – as the AL
East champion Yankees arrive for a
three-game set at Arlington to close out
the Texas Rangers’ Globe Life Park.
Next year, the Rangers will move into
a new retractable roof stadium, while
the Yankees are hoping to raise a world
championship flag atop their 11-year-old
park.
See YANKEES, Page 2B
❚ 1B e
team as a kicker, she figured why not?
Already a star club soccer goalkeeper at
Cedar Stars Academy, Gaston wanted to
have fun and try something new her
senior year before heading to Misericor-
dia College to play soccer next fall.
Gaston sought advice from her fam-
ily, including her older sister, Katherine.
She was initially apprehensive about
Over his last 23 games (22 starts),
Didi Gregorius is batting just .165
(14-for-85) with three home runs and
14 RBIs. KIM KLEMENT-USA TODAY SPORTS
being the only girl on the varsity foot-
ball team at the Middletown school.
With her family’s encouragement,
Gaston broke a glass ceiling and joined
the team. But Katherine, 27, passed
away on July 3, before she could see
her sister kick a ball through the
See GASTON, Page 2B
Rutgers in much different
turmoil than Michigan
Josh Newman
Asbury Park Press
USA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY
PISCATAWAY - Rutgers cannot
compete with Michigan in football.
That is not a jab at the Scarlet
Knights, it is simply a fact based on re-
sults since 2015, which is when Jim
Harbaugh arrived in Ann Arbor. Since
then, Rutgers is 0-4 against the Wol-
verines, getting outscored by a com-
bined 204-37. Within that is getting
outscored 155-21 in three meetings un-
der Chris Ash, and 84-30 in two trips to
Michigan Stadium.
For the purposes of this exercise, we
will avoid details of the infamous 78-0
game from 2016. You’re welcome.
Rutgers closing the gap on Saturday
See RUTGERS, Page 2B
Top Shore
receivers,
athletes
for Week 3
Red Bank’s Bauman,
SJV’s Bellamy top lists
Steven Falk
Asbury Park Press
USA TODAY NETWORK – NEW JERSEY
The Shore Conference has had some
outstanding wide receivers and tight
ends over the years
Here are some of them:
Lonnie Allgood was a standout re-
ceiver at Red Bank Regional in the early
1970s, played collegiate football at Syra-
cuse University and had a six-year ca-
reer in the National Football League
with Cincinnati, New Orleans and Buf-
falo after being drafted by Cincinnati in
the ninth round of the 1976 NFL Draft.
Garrett Graham, a 2004 Brick Me-
morial graduate, was a star tight end for
the University of Wisconsin before he
was drafted in the fourth round by the
Houston Texans in 2010. He played six
years for the Texans and then for Denver
in 2016.
Al Golden, a 1987 Red Bank Catholic
graduate, went on to have a solid colle-
giate career as a tight end at Penn State,
spent one season with the New England
Patriots and then eventually became
the head coach at first Temple and then
Miami (Fla.).
Mike Gesicki, a 2014 Southern Re-
gional graduate, had an outstanding
collegiate career at Penn State and is
currently with the Miami Dolphins after
being a second-round pick by Miami in
2018.
Bennett Jackson, Raritan: Was a
standout two-way player at Raritan
where he lined up at several different
positions on offense. He went on to have
a very good career as a defensive back at
Notre Dame. He spent time with the Gi-
ants and Baltimore Ravens and is cur-
rently on the Jets' practice squad.
Chip LaBarca Jr. : Was a star wide re-
ceiver for his father, Chip LaBarca, at
Toms River South in the mid 1980's and
then played collegiate football at Penn
State. He was then the head coach at
Lakewood and Toms River North and is
currently the offensive coordinator at
Donovan Catholic after stints as the of-
fensive coordinator at Brick and Wall.
Here, with the help of high school
football recruiting analyst and USA TO-
DAY NETWORK NEW JERSEY Red Zone
Road Show co-host Chris Melvin, we
name some of the top wide receivers,
tight ends and athletes to watch in this
weekend's Shore Conference games:
The list is compiled of the top wide re-
ceivers and tight ends throughout the
Shore based on their evaluated talents,
skills, and where they project to play at
the collegiate level. You may find that
certain players may not appear on this
particular list even though they may
perform well at that particular position
– but they shall be included on other lists
of alternate positions that they may
See FOOTBALL, Page 4B
Rutgers head coach Chris Ash, left,
and Michigan head coach Jim
Harbaugh face different types of
turmoil. MEL EVANS/AP