Rumson-FH Routs Carteret To Lock Up a Playoff Berth

RUMSON – Defending Central Jersey Group III football champion Rumson-Fair Haven Regional is entering the CJ III playoffs on a high note this year following an impressive 35-6 rout of Carteret Friday night.
The win earned the Bulldogs a fourth seed in the playoffs (based on power points) and with it a home game this Friday against No. 5 Cranford in the first round.
Overall the Bulldogs have won three straight sectional titles (they won CJ II in 2014 and 2015), but making it four in a row will be difficult since it will likely meet unbeaten Somerville should they beat Cranford. The Pioneers are averaging 50.4 points per game.
Senior quarterback Mike O’Connor, fully recovered from an ankle injury that slowed him up recently, led the way for Rumson scoring three touchdowns on runs of 15, one and 13 yards while throwing a 20-yard scoring pass to  Pete Lucas.
“The ankle feels much better,” said O’Connor, who will be playing football at Colgate next year. “This was a big win for us. Carteret has a good team and we picked up a lot of power points.
“We stuck to our gameplan and executed well,” he said. “It was just Rumson football where we ran well and played great defense.”
Rumson has posted four shutouts this season, and it should have been five Friday since the lone Carteret touchdown came on a 90-yard fumble return by Jerad Tasnady with a minute left in the game.
“We just played solid Rumson defense,” said senior linebacker Mike Ruane, one of the many  defensive stars of the game. “We were able to stop their power game and now we are looking ahead to the playoffs.”
Rumson (6-2), scored  on its first three possessions of the first half for a 21-0 lead and never allowed Carteret (5-3) to reach mid-field.
After forcing a Carteret punt, Rumson drove 73 yards in 11 plays for its first score, a 15-yard run by O’Connor on a keeper. Thomas Chapin kicked the first of five extra points.
Pat Russo set up the next Rumson touchdown with an interception at the Rambler 32. O’Connor scored on a 13-yard run after setting it up with a 14-yard dash.
O’Connor led a 43-yard Rumson drive in the second quarter and scored on a  1-yard run. A 19-yard pass from  O’Connor to Trevor Caruso was the big play in  the drive.
Rumson put the game away at the start of the second half as Matt Vecchiarelli, who picked up 38 of the yards in four running  plays, sparked a 42-yard march with a 5-yard touchdown.
Carteret’s only scoring threat when Rumson’s first team was in the game came in the third quarter when it reached the Rumson 26 before being stopped.
Rumson closed out the scoring on O’Connor’s 20-yard touchdown pass to Lucas in the fourth quarter. The big play was a 32-yard pass from O’Connor to Caruso, who made a leaping catch despite a defender on him.
“We’re really playing good football right now,” said Rumson coach Jerry Schulte.” Our defense was great, and this was our Senior Night. We’re healthy now and are looking forward to the playoffs.”
Rumson still has one more regular season game left when it travels to Shore Regional on Thanksgiving Eve.