Every week this season, Shore Conference football fans will have their chance to vote for the Orthopaedic Institute of Central Jersey/Shore Sports Network Football Player of the Week on our website.

The Week 7 Player of the Week is Red Bank Catholic junior quarterback Anthony Borriello, who sparked the Caseys to 27-16 win over Donovan Catholic in a marquee top-10 showdown that put RBC over .500 and handed the Griffins their first loss of the season.

Borriello, who has split time with senior Ryan Edgerly and also starts in the defensive backfield, played most of the second half when RBC scored 20 straight points to erase a three-point halftime deficit. Borriello finished with 101 yards and a touchdown on 3-of-3 passing and added 55 yards rushing and a touchdown as RBC posted its highest point total of the season, doing so against a Donovan defense that had allowed just 20 points all season.

Down 10-7 to begin the second half, the Caseys received the third-quarter kickoff and drove for the go-ahead touchdown. Borriello made a great play when he rolled to his left and absorbed a big hit as hit hurled a 39-yard pass to sophomore Joe Diorio. That long pass play set up senior running back Elijah Jules for a 20-yard touchdown and a 14-10 RBC lead.

On its next offensive possession, RBC extended its lead to 21-10 when Borriello threaded a 37-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Notre Dame-bound senior tight end Kevin Bauman. Borriello wasn’t finished, as after RBC’s ferocious defense forced another punt he polished off the victory with a 31-yard touchdown run that gave the Caseys a commanding 27-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.

Coming off a crushing 20-14 loss to Manalapan in Week 6, RBC desperately needed a late-season win and rose to the occasion against a Donovan squad that was 7-0 entering the game. The Griffins had also allowed just 20 points all season while scoring an average of 39 points per game.

Red Bank Catholic will enter the final week of the regular season with a 4-3 record and ranked second in the Non-Public Group 3 United Power Ranking. The Caseys, who are the defending Non-Public 3 state champions, host Freehold Township (2-6) on Friday night where they will try to keep the momentum going heading into the playoffs.

It was a two-man race for the Player of the Week belt and Borriello nipped Toms River South’s Devin Porsch with 20.44 percent of the votes. The two were separated by less than 50 votes.

 

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