By Rich Chrampanis
RUMSON – Championships are a constant at Rumson-Fair Haven so it was only fitting that the newest sport on the high school scene follows the tradition of filling up the trophy case in the halls of RFH. The Bulldogs flag football team won the Shore Conference championship for a second straight year with a 37-18 win over Neptune.
“It’s been an absolutely incredible experience,” senior quarterback Ella Mason said. “Especially to see more teams, more girls come out each and every year. But to win it twice in a row is the most incredible feeling.”
Mason’s legacy as a trailblazer in a sport that is set to become an official varsity sport in 2026 was cemented when she led the Bulldogs to a perfect 10-0 season, throwing five touchdown passes in the championship game. Her top target in the final was Kate Hennen, whose Division I athleticism was on full display. Hennen will play Big Ten soccer at Northwestern University and was sensational in the title game, catching the first two touchdowns from Mason. The first was a 28-yard bomb in the end zone; the second a spectacular spinning 12-yard touchdown run to close out the first half and give RFH a 24-12 lead.
“(We were) just buying in and kind of having the confidence on the ball. I think every game we started off being like, OK, we got this,” Hennen said. “If we were dropping back or letting up points, we didn’t let it shake us. We just kept persevering through it and playing our game and keeping our heads straight.”
Mason’s versatility made her very dangerous. If she wasn’t taking snaps at quarterback, she became a run option who could also throw from the halfback spot. Her ability to go vertical stretched the field to allow Rumson to score at will throughout the entire spring.
She completed eight of 16 passes for 145 yards and had 94 yards rushing. After playing for the soccer and basketball teams, she’s set to focus on academics at the University of Michigan where she will major in sports management. There is talk of flag football starting in Ann Arbor, so perhaps Mason will once again get a chance to make her mark at the club level.
Three years ago, there were just eight flag football teams in the Shore Conference. RFH made its debut in year two and went immediately to the top of the pack of the 18 teams now competing. Neptune, coached by former Red Bank Regional athletic director Del Dal Pra, went 8-2 in its first season, reaching the title game.
The departing seniors made their mark and while there were plenty of smiles and fun, flag football brought out elite playmaking and a very serious tone that it is here to stay. The sport’s growth in the coming years should continue to be meteoric. It won’t be long until RFH looks to contend for more than a Shore title; the program has shown it’s got legs on its quest to become New Jersey’s first flag football state champion two years from now.
Rumson-Fair Haven 37, Neptune 18
June 13 at Borden Stadium at Two River Times Field
First Half Scoring
RFH: Ella Mason, 28-yard TD pass to Kate Hennen
RFH: Mason, 3-yard TD pass to Kate Hennen
Neptune: Lana Ellington, 21-yard TD pass to Kaitlyn Hankins
RFH: Mason, 3-yard TD pass to Anna Marshall
Neptune: Ellington, 40-yard TD pass to Kaitlyn Hankins
RFH: Kate Hennen, 12-yard TD run
Second Half Scoring
RFH: Mason, 14-yard TD pass to Annabelle Costello
(Hennen extra point catch)
Neptune: Kaitlyn Hankins, 80-yard TD pass to Adrianna Siciliano
RFH: Mason, 40-yard TD pass to Victoria Santos
The article originally appeared in the June 20 – 26, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.
