Dominant defense strengthens Rumson as regular season comes to a close
RUMSON, N.J. — Some things in life are inevitable, and Rumson-Fair Haven football coach Jerry Schulte utilizing a dominant defense is one of them.
Last Friday night, the Bulldogs blitzed Long Branch into submission en route to a 43-6 blowout road win in the middle of a rainstorm. The conditions for the home team were made worse due to two interceptions thrown by senior quarterback Christian Rodriguez.
On the offensive side of the ball, star running back Geoff Schroeder had a career day, zooming past the Long Branch defense for 253 yards rushing and four touchdowns. One of those came on a seventy-yard third quarter score that put the game out of reach for an overmatched Green Wave squad.
With the win, Rumson solidified its seeding for the upcoming NJSIAA football playoffs. The team will have the top seed in the Central Jersey Group 3 side of the bracket.
“We’re never comfortable with any points on the scoreboard,” said senior linebacker John Lista, according to NJ.com. “Any time anyone scores on us, and we know it’s going to happen, and we know it’s going to happen, but we don’t take that lightly.”
That attitude has stayed consistent all season for a stingy Bulldog defense giving up about 6.6 points per game, according to MaxPreps. Take away a 21-14 loss to RBC two weeks prior, and that number drops to a miniscule average of 4.6. Lista has led the way with 95 total tackles this year, including 12 against Long Branch last weekend.
The performance of Lista and his teammates has been needed to push Rumson’s record to 7-1, but it isn’t something unexpected. For a program that has prided itself on stopping opposing offenses, this year’s group is another in a long line of powerful units on the defensive side of the ball.
The play of Lista, a leader on the field and in the locker room, has not gone unnoticed by his head coach.
“We’ve had a lot of good linebackers here at Rumson and he’s certainly one of the best,” Schulte told Patch last month. “He’s just very physical, very fast and smart. He’s got a great future ahead of him.”
Granted, that level of play has been boosted by the efficient play of Schroeder and quarterback Colin Kennedy. The pair has led the way for an offense playing relatively mistake-free football while controlling time of possession, key to keeping their talented defense rested throughout the game.
“We take pride in the entire program,” Schulte said to Patch. “Though there are expectations as far as our defense is concerned to live up to the standards that have been set here throughout the years.”
It will now be on this current group of Rumson Bulldogs to chase down another title for the storied program. Their quest begins this Friday, November 5th, at 7:00 PM against Oakcrest (3-5).
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