Green Dragons and Mustangs Put Aside their Rivalry in Brick

Football players from Brick Township and Brick Memorial high schools, like the other 41 teams in the Shore Conference are practicing through the heat and humidity of August to get ready for the season opener.

On Saturday, September 8^th these two-bitter rivals on the field will face one another at DeFabio Field, the home of the Mustangs.  It is indeed an intense rivalry but Wednesday thanks to the leadership of their coaches they put that behind them to work together for the betterment of their community.

Earlier this week the Greenbriar One adult community was ravaged by record-breaking flood waters with more than 100 residents evacuated from their homes.

The clean-up has begun and it got a big assist from more than 70 members of the Green Dragons and Mustangs football teams who between practice sessions Wednesday spent several hours pitching in tearing up carpets, picking up trash, moving furniture and doing whatever was needed. They were there to help because at the end of the day it was about helping their neighbors.

Kudos to coaches Len Zdanowicz and Walt Currie for teaming up and setting a great example that it’s more than the numbers on the scoreboard.  On Wednesday both teams scored touchdowns of a different kind and already have put one in the win column.

One other note:

Today will certainly be one in which people head to the beach to seek relief from the heat and while beaches in Seaside Heights will be open there will be no swimming allowed.  In what may be a first the DEP has shut down oceanfront swimming in the borough today because of elevated levels of bacteria likely due to the heavy rains from earlier in the week.

This is expected to be a one-day closure only and the beaches themselves will be open but swimming will not be allowed.

Seaside Heights will not charge to get on the beach today and will give those who do come a free daily badge for use on another day.  I have had family members live there for more than 50 years and I don’t ever remember this happening but I guess there’s a first for everything.