Red Bank Catholic QB Alex Brown rises to victory after tragic loss
RED BANK, N.J. — Alex Brown isn’t your typical high school football quarterback. He’s played at three different schools in four years, moved from Manhattan to the jersey shore, and sadly, just lost his mom to breast cancer after an arduous 15-year battle. Still, this young man is persevering amidst an insurmountable family loss.
Brown, 18, began his high school career at St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, N.J. When his family moved to be closer to extended family in Monmouth County, he transferred to Mater Dei Prep in Middletown. When that school decided not to field a varsity football team for 2021, Brown found a home with Red Bank Catholic (RBC). He says he was welcomed immediately by both coaches and teammates. “When I first came, it was awesome. My teammates were great. We bonded right away. Great atmosphere. Great coaches. They kind of just took me in and let me do my thing as a leader.” This sense of family and loyalty, that is part of the RBC program, helped him through this season.
Brown started playing football when he was just four or five years old. He’s not even sure exactly how old he was just that he was young, and that his Dad was always helping him with sports. His Mom on the other hand, didn’t understand the fascination with athletics and exposed her young son to other interests as well, such as singing and hip-hop dancing. This gave Brown some balance and helped him connect to his mom. As Brown got older, he convinced her football was his passion and what he wanted to concentrate on. She came to embrace it. Brown says, “There was no louder person on the sideline. No one more proud of me. She threw herself into this football Mom stuff, and she loved it.”
Michelle Brown succumbed to the cancer she fought so valiantly on November 11th. The very next day Alex knew he wanted to play in RBC’s first-round playoff game. He not only showed up to compete but broke a single game school record with eight touchdowns: throwing six and running two. Brown shares, “As soon as I stepped onto that field, I felt her presence. It gave me a little juice. It gave me that electric feeling to go out there and shock the world which is what happened.” The Caseys defeated Morris Catholic 58-34 to move ahead.
RBC Athletic Director, Joe Montano says in his 31 years he hasn’t had anything happen as terrible as a student-athlete losing a parent. Montano says, “Alex’s parents did an amazing job raising him. He’s an exemplarily young man. To come out and play the day after his mom died and have that kind of game is just remarkable.”
Head coach, Michael Lange, echoes those sentiments. “He’s a well-mannered, mature kid which is a credit to how he was raised. How he was able to handle all of this. I’m so impressed. The overall demeanor that he showed was really remarkable to see.”
Just about two weeks later the Caseys went on to win the NJSIAA Non-Public B state championship defeating top-seeded DePaul 13-8. Brown wrapped up his RBC career by throwing one touchdown pass as well as rushing for one in his final game. The defense, led by senior, Alex Bauman, was also integral to the win, holding the Spartans to just one touchdown. Bauman has been a three-year starter for the Caseys.
Lange says, “Everybody really rallied behind Alex. Everyone really looked out for each other. I think that was one more big part of our success, how the kids kind of bonded together through the whole thing. Many of them had met Alex’s Mom and I think they ran with that as motivation, and it paid off at the end.”
Brown will stay competitive this winter, playing basketball for the Caseys. He prides himself on being a good defender. He has committed to Bucknell University where he will continue his football career upon graduating from RBC. He intends to carry with him the lessons and values his Mom instilled in him.
Brown says the most important thing his mom taught him was not to lose sight of who he is. “She kept reminding me to stay true to myself and to be myself. To not lose the person she helped develop. She opened up another side of me and tapped into that side. She wants me to keep that with me for the rest of my life.”
This is an unedited user writing submission. The views, information, or opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Best Version Media or its employees.
