Raritan Soccer Team RAINEs As Bike Building Champs

Hazlet-The Raritan High School soccer team prevailed over the state champion football team and the wrestling team in a upset last second victory last night in the annual R.A.I.NE Foundation Bike Building competition in the Holy Family School all-purpose room.

The three teams were tied after regulation play with 13 bikes each assembled for RAINE’S annual holiday gift distribution to Bayshore area families, prompting an sudden death overtime.

The wrestling team did not get off the mat during overtime, but football and soccer assemblers were neck and neck to present their 14th bike to the judges and take home the trophy. The soccer players were dejected when Ryan Dickens, the football teams ringer assembler, presented his apparently completed cycle. But the handle bars collapsed during the judge’s inspection and the soccer players roared in joy as they discovered new life. The football and soccer teams rushed to tighten their bolts and install the reflectors, with soccer prevailing by a nanosecond.

While the student athletes were assembling the bicycles, RAINE volunteers were next door in the closed school’s gymnasium completing the wrapping and sorting of Christmas gifts, including 130 bicycles, for 300 Bayshore families which will be delivered on Thursday night.

50 volunteer Santas will travel via fire engines provided by fire companies from Union Beach, Keansburg, Hazlet, Keyport, Aberdeen, Matawan, Middletown and Holmdel, followed by mini-vans provided by Buhler Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram, Straub Motors Buick GMC, Pine Belt Nissan and Tom’s Ford loaded with gifts and elves.