Rumson-Fair Haven rallies behind its quarterback after a crushing loss to RBC
RUMSON, N.J. — Following a disappointing defeat to rival Red Bank Catholic a week prior, Rumson-Fair Haven football could have come out flat in its next game.
Instead, the team got back to what it’s done all season: winning.
The 12-7 victory over Middletown South last Friday was the kind of gritty, oftentimes ugly, game the Bulldogs have thrived in this season.
“Both teams have good defenses. It was not going to be a high-scoring game. Our defense is very good. Our offense is ball control, not flashy,” Rumson coach Jerry Schulte told the Asbury Park Press. “We’re not throwing the ball all over the place. I think it’s a nice combination.”
It was that stout Rumson defense that held Middletown South, unbeaten leading up to the contest, to a single touchdown. They also managed to intercept quarterback Tom Shork three different times and force two fumbles.
“We just couldn’t get out of our own way when it came down to it,” Middletown South coach Steve Antonucci told NJ.com. “We did everything in the first half to give the ball away. You’re not going to win a game with five turnovers. It’s not going to happen.”
While neither offense had a great performance, Rumson did have one true difference-maker in Colin Kennedy. The quarterback was responsible for the Bulldogs’ only two scores of the day, both of which occurred in the game’s opening quarter. The first, a 47-yard run into the endzone, was Kennedy’s sixth rushing touchdown of the season in just seven games. On the team’s next drive, a 31-yard bomb from Kennedy to Scott Venancio put Rumson up by double digits.
On a night where star running back Geoff Schroeder was held to just 61 yards on the ground, Kennedy’s dual-threat abilities were needed to generate some kind of offensive presence. After the game, Schulte had nothing but praise for his senior signal-caller.
“He’s like another running back,” Schulte said to NJ.com. “He’s really like a fullback who can throw the ball. He does a good job. We really rely on him to call the shots.”
The difference in this week’s performance may have come down to mental preparation and personal motivation; the Bulldogs turned the ball over just once.
“Red Bank Catholic played a great game last week but we came in here a little angry,” Kennedy told the Asbury Park Press. “We knew we had to play well, and we won but we made some mistakes, so we’ve got a lot of things to work on.”
With just one week left in the Shore Conference regular season, the time for the Bulldogs to play their best football is rapidly approaching. However, it seems as if this week had a postseason atmosphere for Rumson’s players and coaches.
“We told them that we’re playing for the states,” Schulte said to NJ.com. “This was for where we’re going to be seeded or if we’re going to make it. We kind of looked at this as the first round of the playoffs in a way so that we could keep it going to get in there.”
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