By Rich Chrampanis
HOLMDEL – There were 140 plays and 68 points on the scoreboard, but in the end, Rumson-Fair Haven’s depth wore down an exciting and explosive Holmdel attack.
Brady Williams accounted for 314 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in Rumson-Fair Haven’s 40-28 win at Holmdel as the Bulldogs improved to 3-0. Williams threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for three more scores.
Holmdel capitalized on strong special teams play to stay close early. Joey Berardi blocked a punt to give the Hornets possession inside RFH territory, while Anthony Serini’s punt return set up Michael Todisco’s first of two rushing touchdowns. RFH’s James Halikias had a key interception to respond to the Berardi blocked punt. The teams were tied 14-14 midway through the second quarter.
Then Williams took control. He scored on a 9-yard run and connected with Cole Spoonire for a 10-yard touchdown in the back of the end zone, giving RFH a 27-14 lead. Holmdel answered just before halftime when quarterback Tommy Fletcher found Serini for a spectacular 16-yard touchdown catch. Serini leaped in the end zone to over a well-guarded defender to make the play, cutting the Bulldogs’ lead to 27-21.
Ryder Izzo delivered on both sides of the ball for RFH. The Yale commit intercepted a pass in the end zone to stop a Holmdel scoring threat in the third quarter before sealing the victory with a 29-yard touchdown run late in the fourth. Izzo finished with 151 rushing yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
“Yeah, it’s big,” Williams said. “Ryder’s huge for us. Ryder gets everything going for the offense. You can give him the ball and he’ll run for 80 yards. It just opens up everything for us. Everybody has a part in our offense.”
Williams was 17 of 28 for 248 passing yards and two passing TDs to go along with 66 yards rushing on 14 carries with three more scores. Izzo was one of the few Bulldogs who played on both sides of the ball. Holmdel had many of its top performers, headlined by Serini and Todisco, on the field for nearly the entire game.
In the second half, RFH pulled away thanks to its depth and numerous contributors on both sides of the ball. Serini kept Holmdel within striking distance with 13 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns. His second score made it 33-28 with 6:56 remaining, but Izzo’s touchdown provided the knockout punch.
RFH’s defense surrendered yardage but produced four takeaways, including interceptions by Halikias, Izzo and Lloyd Bush. Bodie Matchett recovered a late fumble to secure the win.
“We don’t really have a lot of guys going both ways,” Bush said. “So when we get in, we’re all full in the tank, and we’re just going out there attacking. You can see it in other teams. They’ve got kids going two ways. They’re exhausted by the fourth quarter, but we’re still going. That’s where we make our money.”
RFH avenged a 33-21 loss to the Hornets a year ago and will have another chance for revenge Thursday when the team travels to Wall. The Crimson Knights ended Rumson’s season 17-13 in last year’s section semifinal. Holmdel has back-to-back Non-Public tests with St. John Vianney and Red Bank Catholic over the next two weeks.
Week Two Results
Rumson-Fair Haven 40, Holmdel 28
Middletown South 42, Freehold Township 14
Middletown North 34, Shore Regional 20
Ocean Township 34, Red Bank Regional 0
Colts Neck 32, Long Branch 0
Red Bank Catholic 44, St. John Vianney 7
Monmouth Regional 44, Manchester Township 6
Week 3 Schedule
Thursday, Sept. 17
Rumson-Fair Haven at Wall, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 18
St. John Vianney at Holmdel, 7 p.m.
Red Bank Catholic at Manalapan, 7 p.m.
Manasquan at Middletown North, 7 p.m.
Shore Regional at Middletown South, 7 p.m.
Red Bank Regional at Raritan, 6 p.m.
Colts Neck at Asbury Park, 5 p.m.
Monmouth Regional at Long Branch, 6 p.m.
The article originally appeared in the September 17 – 23, 2026 print edition of The Two River Times.
