Mantz resigns after one season at Bridgewater-Raritan due to “personal health and family issues”

Less than a year after becoming the new head football coach at Bridgewater-Raritan, Rick Mantz has stepped down due to “personal health reasons and family issues.”

The news was announced Friday afternoon by the Bridgewater-Raritan School District.

Mantz led Bridgewater-Raritan to a 4-6 season in his inaugural campaign after coming out of retirement to take over for longtime head coach Scott Bray back in early April of this year.

For the time being, the district says Assistant Head Coach D.J. Catalano is running the off-season conditioning program, while also assisting student-athletes with college recruiting. The early National Letter of Intent Signing Period is coming up later this month, on December 21st.

Mantz informed Bridgewater-Raritan High School Principal Dan Hemberger of his decision via letter.

In the district’s statement, Hemberger wrote “Rick Mantz has made a significant contribution during his brief time as head coach. He has restructured the internal operations to resemble a college program, elevated expectations for our student-athletes both on and off the football field, and energized he coaching staff and overall football community.”

Superintendent Bob Beers added, “Rick was an outstanding coach and leader of young men during his tenure. … He has set the program on the right path and i wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.”

Before coming to Bridgewater-Raritan, Mantz had most recently been Director of High School Relations at Rutgers from 2016 through 2020.

Mantz won a state championship as a player in 1980, kicking the winning field goal in the title game, then won another as head coach at his alma mater in 2000, defeating heavily-favored Sayreville for the Central Jersey Group 4 title. He was 81-39 in 16 seasons with the Raiders, and also had a successful run at South Brunswick, snapping a three-decade playoff absence in 2008. He’s coached future NFL players like Shaun O’Hara (at Hillsborough) and Mohamed Sanu (at South Brunswick).