By doug mckenzie
Staff Writer
FARRAH MAFFAI Rumson-Fair Haven’s David Wassel collects his thoughts before receiving a kick-off during a recent scrimmage with Raritan in Hazlet.
Now in his fifth year at the helm of the Rumson-Fair Haven High School football program, Shane Fallon believes he is reaching the pinnacle of his tenure as the Bulldogs’ leader.
"These are the highest expectations I’ve had as a coach here in five years," he said. "The community is behind us, the Pop Warner program is booming, and our guys are ready to win now. We have every reason to be very optimistic about this season."
At a time when many coaches try to downplay the expectations for their respective football teams, Fallon can’t hide his enthusiasm.
"We return 23 seniors, and most of them started as sophomores," he said. "We’re pretty confident that those two years of experience will pay off this year."
In addition, the Bulldogs will have two different sets of players on either side of the ball for the first time in Fallon’s tenure.
"We have a two-platoon system, with very few guys playing both ways," he explained. "That’s the first time since I’ve been here that we’ve been able to do that, and it should help us tremendously as the year progresses. That really is just a result of the number of seniors and quality players we have this year."
The offense will be led by junior quarterback Ryan McDonough. The first-year starter is being asked to step in and lead what will potentially be a dynamic offense, and Fallon is confident that he’ll do a solid job.
"He’s looked excellent thus far," the coach said. "He has a strong arm and is one of the most coachable kids on the team. We’re very happy with his progress."
In the backfield, junior Jeff Cornelisse will start at the tailback and will be asked to maintain what has become a strong tradition at Rumson at that position. His battery mate will be senior fullback Will Jakubecy.
When the Bulldogs look to the air, McDonough will have a number of targets to look for, including a trio of receivers who have significant varsity experience. Seniors Dan Manfra, David Wassel and Christian George should all see plenty of the ball this year, as Fallon looks to spread the offense around.
On the offensive line, a quartet of seniors, Mike Thorogood (tackle), Stewart Eadon and Ron Rhodes (guards) and center John Valkos will work with sophomore Alex LaMagdelianne to open the holes for the backs, and provide the support that McDonough needs to look downfield.
Defensively, Fallon will start senior Britt Melewski and Ryan Puck at the cornerback positions, while junior Alex Milke and senior Scott Fitzgerald will be the safeties.
The linebacking duties will be handled by seniors Joe Scofi, Matt Moralle and John McAuliffe, while senior Nema Faryar and junior Austin Atwell will play defensive end, with senior Joe Opie and junior Shawn Jones starting at the defensive tackle positions.
Fallon said that his team played very well throughout the preseason, which only added to his excitement about the regular season.
"They’ve been excellent so far, showing up each day ready to work hard and work at getting better," he said. "I really feel that they are understanding the big picture here, that if you work to get better it will translate into a lot of wins."
The Bulldogs open the 2002 campaign on Saturday with a home game against Colts Neck. The Cougars should be a tough opponent for Rumson as they too return a number of quality players from last year’s 6-4 team.
From there, the Bulldogs will face Shore Regional in their first road game of the year, before heading off to Freehold Borough on Sept. 28.
The Bulldogs are among the favorites in the Shore Conference’s National Division this year, along with Freehold Borough, Shore, Keyport and newly-added Asbury Park. However, many feel that Rumson may be the team to beat this year based on the number of players returning from last year’s 5-5 squad.
They’ve made believers out of a lot of fans already with their solid preseason. And their coach is one of them.