By Rich Chrampanis

PISCATAWAY – It wasn’t going to be easy. Rumson-Fair Haven experienced heartbreak at SHI Stadium on the campus of Rutgers University in the Group 2 state championship game before. But in 2024, the Bulldogs flipped the script and captured the school’s first outright state title, one that had eluded them the past two years.

Kellen Murray had 28 carries for 170 yards and three touchdown runs and the Bulldogs converted two critical fourth downs on offense to score a 26-24 win over Shabazz in a game that saw the RFH lean on its defense in the second half after rallying from 16-6 down in the first.

Shabazz opened the scoring with a Jalen “Speedy” Cline 73-yard catch and run. Rumson answered by marching right down the field but RFH quarterback Owen O’Toole was picked off by Stanford-commit Omari Gaines. Shabazz had an 8-0 lead after one quarter.

O’Toole cashed in from a yard out early in the second quarter, but Talib McLean made a tremendous catch in the back of the end zone on a laser thrown by Shabazz signal caller Daveion Porter to make it a 16-6 game.

Rumson never panicked thanks to its high-octane offense. Murray scored his first touchdown of the day from seven yards out to make it 16-13, setting the stage for a wild sequence that proved to be the biggest moment of the game.

After Shabazz used its final timeout in the first half, it appeared Rumson-Fair Haven was going to punt the ball away on fourth down, trailing 16-13 with 1:29 left in the second quarter. In a brilliant move, RFH brought out its punt team only to have it sprint off the field so O’Toole and the offense could return. The RFH quarterback threw over the middle to tight end Jack Gyimesi to the 17-yard line on the fourth-and-5 conversion. Two plays later, Murray got to the edge and turned upfield, flipping over a defender for a 17-yard touchdown run, giving the Bulldogs a 20-16 lead into halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, the next critical fourth-down conversion came in the fourth quarter as O’Toole connected with Carson Memmott for 22 yards. That set the stage for Murray’s third touchdown of the game and a 10-point lead, a score that made all the difference as Shabazz’s Talib McLean scored in the closing seconds with a 7-yard touchdown catch off a deflection. The onside kick attempt did not go 10 yards and RFH kneeled out the win. 

After giving up 16 points in the first half, the RFH defense was nearly flawless in the second half with the exception of the late score.

“This has been three years in the making,” linebacker Austin Kiernan said. “I was here my sophomore year against Caldwell; I was here last year against Westwood, both heartbreaking losses. I can’t put this into words right now how amazing this feels. We’ve really been able to turn it around. The first RFH team to go 13-0. It feels amazing.”

Coach Jeremy Schulte was understandably emotional as he immediately went to the stands and pointed to his family. His father, Jerry Schulte, the architect of the current Rumson-Fair Haven football dynasty, passed away in March.

“I’m so incredibly proud of (the team),” Schulte said. “They have done everything we asked of them. These guys led from the front the entire time and it was just incredible to watch them.”

Scoring Summary

Rumson-Fair Haven 26
Shabazz 24

1st Quarter
Shabazz: Jalen Cline 73-yard pass from
Remolo Tables (Daveion Porter run), 8-0 Shabazz

2nd Quarter
RFH: Owen O’Toole 1-yard TD run (run failed), 8-6 Shabazz
Shabazz: Talib McLean 31-yard pass from Romelo Tables (Adiren pass catch), 16-6 Shabazz
RFH: Kellen Murray 7-yard run (Memmott kick), 16-13 Shabazz
RFH: Kellen Murray 17-yard run (Memmott kick), 20-16 RFH

3rd Quarter
No Scoring

4th Quarter
Kellen Murray 3-yard run (kick failed), 26-16 RFH
Shabazz: Talib McLean 7-yard pass from
Kariiem Costom (McDonald pass catch), 26-24 RFH

The article originally appeared in the December 5 – 11, 2024 print edition of The Two River Times.