The Hamilton West football team knew Reidgee DiManche long before he was one of its players.
“I saw Reidgee play Pop Warner when he was 10 years old,” Hamilton West Head Coach Tom Hoglen said. “He would always come to our games and help out on the sidelines.”
Back then, Reidgee was better known as Jayson DiManche’s little brother.
Jayson, now a NFL veteran, was the star of the Hamilton West football team 10 years ago. A three-sport athlete, he totaled 253 tackles and 30 sacks in three years at linebacker with the Hornets. In his senior year, he set a school record with 15 sacks. Jayson was named all-county in the Trenton Times and first-team all-area in the Trentonian. He was second-team Asbury Park Press all-state and won Hamilton’s MVP and hardest hitter awards. Reidgee was just getting into football at the time, and wasn’t having the same success.
“Back then, I was just so unathletic, and it was just funny,” Reidgee said. “My coaches remind me every day about it.”
Jayson never doubted that his little brother would grow into his pads, though.
“I realized how big his feet were,” Jayson said. “He was wearing a size 12 when he was a young guy; 10 or 11 years old. His shoe size was bigger than mine, so when I realized how big his feet were I thought he could grow up to be a pretty decent football player.”
Whether it was Reidgee helping his brother on the sidelines, or Jayson keeping tabs on his brother’s development, the two had each other’s backs. When Jayson left Hamilton to play college ball at Southern Illinois, the distance couldn’t get them to drift apart.
“As soon as my brother and I see each other, it’s like we never left,” Jayson said. “We pick up right were we left off.”
Jayson continued to grow on the field at Southern Illinois. By his senior year with the Salukis, he had become a force to be reckoned with on defense. In 2012, he led the team in both sacks and tackles, and was top 20 in the nation in tackles for loss per game (1.36) and sacks per game (0.73). As captain, Jayson helped the team build a Top 10 rushing defense. Up until then, the little brother who had watched Jayson on the sidelines had no idea his brother would be going to the NFL.
“At that time, I did not know,” said Reidgee. “Not until his senior year when he told us he was going to work out with these [NFL] guys. Before that, he was just regular old Jayson out at college playing football.”
“Regular old Jayson” signed with the Cincinnati Bengals out of college and played in all 16 games of the 2013 season. In three years in the NFL, he’s played with the Bengals and the Browns and also had stints with the Chiefs and Lions. He currently is a free agent.
Meanwhile, back in Hamilton, the DiManche name is still lighting up the football field. While Jayson was busy making a career for himself, Reidgee was growing into the Hornets’ next star. He got taller, stronger and faster (just as Jayson had predicted). Now, he stands at 6-1, 215 pounds.
‘I think football has brought my brother and I together.’
Jayson has always made it clear that he doesn’t want to put pressure on his little brother to be like him, but when you’re playing the same position your now-NFL linebacker brother was at a decade ago, it’s hard not to make comparisons. Instead, Reidgee has embraced the challenge.
“I would like to say everyone holds me to a different standard, and I’m okay with that because my brother is who he is and my family’s been here all our lives,” said Reidgee. “Everyone knows us.”
“I see a more improved version [of myself], honestly,” Jayson said. “When I was his age, I didn’t have anybody that was in college or played professional football to teach me the tricks of the trade… All I ever want him to do is be great, so when I see him I see myself but I see a better version.”
The roles of the DiManche brothers have switched. This time around, it’s Jayson standing on the sidelines while Reidgee leads the Hornets. The bond between the brothers hasn’t changed, though; they’re closer than ever.
“When he’s home in the offseason he’s always working out, and I’m always trying to catch a ride with him just to see what he does and try get that same work ethic,” Reidgee said. “I know that’s the work ethic I need to get to that next level. So whenever he goes out to do something football related, I try to tag along.”
It’s not just on the field, either. Jayson brags about the accolades his little brother is piling up with football, but gets just as much pride in his voice when talking about Reidgee’s 3.5 GPA. Jayson wants Reidgee to make the All-Area team, but also wants to see his name on the honor roll.
“I just want to see him be the best person and player that he can be,” Jayson added “I never made him or chased him down to do anything. Anything he and I have ever done together has been purely voluntary.”
It’s Reidgee’s turn to take the next step now. He’s committed to play football at Stony Brook University, a choice he said he was more comfortable making knowing his brother had come out of a small school as well. No matter where football takes him, Reidgee knows his brother will always be by his side.
“If you watch us play, it’s just me trying to replicate what he did at the high school, college and NFL level,” Reidgee said. “He was in college when I was in elementary school starting Pop Warner, so back then I was watching his games and watching his practices and just trying to replicate. Everything he’s done he tried to teach me too, and it’s helped. It’s been nothing but helpful. Going through the high school and college level, I’m still going to use my stuff my brother taught me back in seventh grade.”
“I think football has brought my brother and I together,” Jayson said. “Sometimes it’s tough; I’m not home a lot, and I don’t get to see the family too much. Football is really one of those things where there’s no grey area; there’s no imbalance. When it comes to football, he and I are pretty much in sync.”
Hamilton West’s Reidgee DiManche runs with the ball during the Hornets’ 29-28 loss to West Windsor-Plainsboro South Sept. 24, 2016. (Photo by Suzette J. Lucas.),
