By Rich Chrampanis
PISCATAWAY – The Rumble on the Raritan was a 12 game, three-day showcase featuring teams from teams from Maryland, Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey. Organizers gave the highly anticipated Wall vs. Rumson-Fair Haven matchup the Sunday night 8 p.m. slot thinking the game had the potential to be a down-to-the-wire, back-and-forth battle between two of New Jersey’s most consistent public programs in recent years. Instead, Rumson-Fair Haven shocked New Jersey with a complete performance on both sides of the ball in a 35-0 rout that had the state buzzing at the result.
RFH beating Wall is one thing, but dismantling the defending Shore Conference champs is something that no one saw coming. The Rumson offense marched down the field sparked by senior Colin Kennedy. The quarterback brought a new wrinkle to the Bulldogs offense, running the option and using his 6-foot-2, 225-pound athletic frame to endure physical runs. Kennedy’s 2-yard run capped off a 66-yard drive that put Rumson in front 7-0. Geoff Schroeder complemented Kennedy in the rushing attack behind an outstanding offensive line. His 6-yard touchdown run put Rumson up 14-0 and the rout was on in the second quarter. With so many effective runs, Kennedy showed that he can also air it out
with a gorgeous 32-yard TD pass to Scott Venancio. On fourth and short, Kennedy capped off a near flawless half with a 16-yard run up the middle to give RFH a 28-0 halftime lead.
Kennedy put the exclamation point on the domination with a 42-yard TD run in the third quarter.
“I think our offensive game plan was second to none,” Kennedy said. “Almost every touchdown I had or run had the option to give it. They’re going to tackle Geoff and it would just open up for me. The O-line did their job and they executed perfectly.”
For most of the 21st century, the running back has been the focal point of the RFH offense. The preseason talk or hype surrounding Colin Kennedy was close to zero but that’s not the case anymore.
“This kid just put the whole Shore on notice,” Schroeder said. “He works so hard every single day in the weight room and on the field. He didn’t get any playing time because of the older players ahead of him. Now he’s getting his chance and it’s so special.”
The Rumson defense was able to completely stifle Wall, holding the Crimson Knights to just one first down and a mere 36 yards. Linebacker John Lista and defensive end Aiden Moriarity were the ringleaders on a unit that swarmed to the ball.
“I think we executed to perfection,” Lista said. “We had a really aggressive nature out there. I’m really anxious to prepare for Donovan (Catholic) in four days. I’m just ready to get prepared and recover.”
To put it in perspective, Wall gave up 38 points in seven games in 2020 and owned a 20-game win streak in Shore Conference play. While the Crimson Knights lost quarterback Logan Peters and running back Casey Larkin to graduation, 17 starters returned from a team that was a perfect 7-0 and finished ranked as the No. 1 team in the state.
The celebration, however, was short-lived. Rumson knows that one win does not make a season. With Donovan Catholic coming to Borden Stadium and Two River Times field Friday night, there’s a new “must-see game” in the Shore Conference that will once again have implications for who will get the chance to compete in the top-four-team pod at the end of the regular season.
The article originally appeared in the September 9 – 15, 2021 print edition of The Two River Times.
