Brick, Brick Memorial Alumni To Face Off On Football Field -- Pads And All

Brick and Brick Memorial graduates who have thought it would be fun to pull on the shoulder pads one more time will have the chance to do so this fall.

A full-pads alumni football game between the two schools is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10 on the turf at Veterans Memorial Middle School on Hendrickson Boulevard.

It is one of three alumni football games scheduled in the Shore area in the next few months: an alumni game between Middletown South and Middletown North is set for Aug. 15 at Middletown South, while Wall and Manasquan alumni will take the field at the Wall American Youth Football field at 2700 Allaire Road, Wall.

The games are organized by OT Football, a company that brings alumni from rival high schools together to play in a full-pads charity football game in their hometowns.

“Get ready to strap on the pads, and play full pads football against your rival in front of fans, cheerleaders, and bands all while doing what matters raising money for the charities of your choice,” the company says on its website.

OT Football (OT stands for overtime: “Overtime happens after four quarters of football, and we here at OT football bring you full pads football games after your four years of high school are over!” the company says on its website) was founded by Matt Malleo and Eddie Kapalko, a pair of Shore Conference football players who played on opposite sides of one of the biggest football rivalries at the Shore: Wall-Manasquan.

Malleo, a 2004 Wall graduate and defensive back, won a state title with the Crimson Knights and went on to play at the Hun School and then at Cornell University. Kapalko, whose family owns RKE Athletic, was a lineman and graduated from Manasquan in 2011 with a state title. He played at Moravian College.

For both, however, the desire to keep playing beyond college led to the development of OT Football.

Last year, Wall and Manasquan alumni faced off for the first time in an OT Football-organized game, and the success of that first game -- 60 players participated, according to a report in the Star News -- spurred them to continue the venture.

“As adults, many of us continue to play sports like baseball, basketball, tennis. But, why not the most popular sport in the United States?” the pair asks on their website. “For most having a catch or playing touch football is the extent of post pads football. The desire to play is there, it is the difficulty in getting enough players together, having the proper safe equipment and getting the event organized that stop the games from happening.”

OT Football charges each player $100 to participate, and requires a minimum of 28 players from each team to participate before it will move forward, according to the website. “On game day, we provide the necessary equipment (helmets, shoulder pads, game pants, and pads), liability insurance certificate for the host school or field, and we provide the referees,” they said.

It also helps with fundraising for whatever charity the teams choose to support.

The Brick vs. Brick Memorial game is set for a 6 p.m. kickoff on Oct. 10. Admission for fans will be $10 and proceeds will benefit the Brick Memorial Football Parent Club and the Brick Dragons Green and White Club.

Brick Memorial football alumni who are interested in playing should contact Brian Staub (Class of 2009) at (732) 546-6195. Brick Township football alumni who are interested in playing should join the Facebook group Brick Dragon Alumni Football and contact either Dave Christopher by Facebook or phone (732) 552-6555 or Artie Elias at (732) 966-4950.

The game is being sponsored by RKE Athletics and Jersey Shore Health and Wellness. Additional interested sponsors or questions can be answered by Matt Malleo of OT Football at [email protected] or (732) 492-3018.