First-year Marlboro football coach Ryan Brooks is hoping that Sunday’s season-opening 29-0 Section 9 Class B triumph over Red Hook is the first of many to come. But as he clutched the game ball presented to him by his players following the win, he admitted this one had special meaning to him.

“This is a very sentimental thing,” he said. “This is a special group of guys. And I love coming back to coach them.”

Brooks took over this season after the sudden resignation of former coach Brian Beck. Brooks had sat out of coaching football for two years to watch his son Miles play football.

Although he’s a rookie varsity head coach, Brooks has the advantage of coaching many of the current Dukes who were on his modified football teams for eight or nine years at Marlboro.

One of those he had coached in eighth grade was Collin Casey, a senior who started at quarterback vs. Red Hook (0-1 Class B, 1-1 overall) after not playing football since his modified days.

Casey’s debut couldn’t have gone much better as he threw a pair of touchdown passes and scrambled in for another score to lead the Dukes to a dominating performance. Casey last played football under Brooks in the eighth grade, preferring to concentrate on baseball and basketball.

But Casey said he decided to give football a whirl this season since he wasn’t doing anything during the fall sports season.

“And I have a lot of friends on the team that encouraged me to come out who said it was a lot of fun,” he said.

Casey’s father Mark was a very good athlete himself, getting drafted in the 23rd round by the Minnesota Twins in 1985 after starring as a second baseman for Iona College. The elder Casey ranks third in batting average in a single season for the Gaels, hitting .423 in 1985.

“I come from a pretty good background,” the younger Casey admitted.

Following a scoreless first quarter, Dukes defensive back Sam Lofaro picked off Raiders quarterback Landon Ramsey on the second play of the second quarter.

Casey found Chin Okasi on a quick out pattern on the next play and after eluding one defender Okasi sprinted 46 yards down the sideline for a 6-0 lead. Holder Colin Robertson improvised on a fumbled snap on the extra point and ran it in the end zone for a 2-point conversion and an 8-0 lead.

Casey admitted he was a little nervous at the outset.

“But after the first drive, I settled in and felt comfortable,” he said.

It stayed that way until the Dukes’ first series of the second half. On the third play from scrimmage, running back Ryan Durling bolted up the middle to score on a 53-yard run to make it 14-0 with 10:50 left in the third quarter.

Red Hook linebacker Zac McGee was hurt on the play and there was a one-hour delay before McGee was airlifted to Albany Medical Center to treat his injury.

When play resumed, Lofaro booted the extra point to extend the lead to 15-0.
Brooks gathered his team together during the long break to give them some words of advice.

“I told them to just stay focused and keep playing the game out in your head,” he said. “When it’s time to come out and play, we just go out and execute.”

Matt Drake’s interception midway through the fourth quarter gave the Dukes possession deep in Red Hook territory. Casey needed only one play to find paydirt. He dropped back to pass, but when he didn’t see any receivers open he took off and scampered 28 yards to make it 22-0.

“He’s a great athlete and a very poised kid,” Brooks said of his quarterback, who finished with 117 yards passing and 62 yards rushing.

Okasi hauled in a 16-yard TD pass with 54 seconds left to put the icing on the cake. Okasi led Marlboro’s receiving corps with 90 yards on three catches and a pair of TDs.

Durling led all runners with 109 yards on 14 carries.

Trace Napoli led the Dukes with seven tackles, along with a fumble recovery and a sack. Kevin DeSantis added six tackles. Drake had a fumble recovery in addition to his interception.

Marlboro has its home opener at 7 p.m. Friday vs. New Paltz.