By doug mckenzie
Staff Writer
PHOTOS BY CHRIS KELLY Above, Rumson’s Michael Bords tries to complete a pass over the defense, while below, Jeff Cornelisse carries a pair of tacklers on his back during a recent scrimmage against Raritan in Rumson.
The Rumson-Fair Haven High School football team is coming off its best season in school history.
Just don’t expect to recognize too many players from that squad when the Bulldogs take the field for their opener on Sept. 13 in Colts Neck.
A total of 23 players have graduated from last year’s 8-2 team, including 10 of 11 starters on the defensive side of the ball. But head coach Shane Fallon is as excited about his team as ever, based on the reaction the program has received coming off last year’s success.
"This is my sixth year, and it’s taken five years to get the program where I want it to be," he said. "We had 53 kids last year, graduated 23, and entered camp this summer with 59 kids. Last year really helped the program. It sparked a lot of interest in the younger kids, and as a result, the program is really taking off.
"The support we are receiving from the community has been great," he added. "Pop Warner is booming, and we’re just hoping to give the same excitement we gave everyone last year."
Though it’s hard not to consider it a rebuilding year when you lose 23 players to graduation, Fallon thinks his team is capable of improving quickly on the field.
"Our weakness, obviously, is our inexperience," he said. "But our strengths will be in our numbers and our size. This is the biggest team we’ve had — we’re huge.
"Having the size we do, and seeing how hard the kids are working, I think we’re getting better every day, and that’s all you can ask for from a young team. Instead of taking one step forward and one step back, it seems like we’re just taking one step forward each day."
And Fallon said the team’s attitude is setting the Bulldogs up for a successful season.
"What we lack in experience, we need to make up for in hard work, and so far, we’re doing that," he said.
While the Bulldogs will be without a number of players who led the RFH team on both sides of the ball last year, there are a number of players returning who Fallon will look to to provide leadership both on and off the field.
On the offensive side of the ball, senior tailback Jeff Cornelisse will be the top weapon, coming off a season where he rushed for over 700 yards as the second option behind the team’s multi-talented quarterback Christian George.
Senior tight end Austin Atwell will also be called on to be an offensive force, with what is expected to be a larger role in the play-calling.
"Last year he was primarily a blocking tight end, but this year we’re going to look to throw the ball to him as well," Fallon said. "He’s an outstanding blocker, but he’s capable of more than just that."
Junior guard Alex LaMagdelaine is back to lead the offensive line. The 6-3, 285-pound giant started as a sophomore and is developing into one of the Shore’s most dominant lineman.
Nick Del Grosso, a senior, is also back at his wide out position, where he will look to continue to be a weapon.
The defense has just one starter back in senior defensive back Alex Milke, but senior defensive lineman Sean Jones also saw a lot of varsity action last year and will look to anchor the defensive front this year.
With so many new players vying for starting spots, Fallon still has a number of decisions to make before filling in the rest of the holes on both sides of the ball. But he’s not complaining.
"Six years ago we didn’t have the luxury of having so many kids competing for positions," he said. "The competition has gotten a lot tougher, and we’ve stressed that the entire preseason. The kids understand that there’s always another guy waiting to come in for them if they don’t want to work hard.
"Our younger kids are getting every opportunity to earn a spot, and that will make us stronger."
As the regular season approaches, Fallon realizes his team faces an uphill battle, but he’s anxious to see how his group responds.
"Our biggest question will be on the defensive side of the ball," he said. "But I think we’ll be a lot better on week four than we are today.
"We’ve been hit with the injury bug pretty bad this preseason, so we need to get healthy first," he added. "When you have so many young guys with no continuity, that hurts you."
Fallon and his coaching staff are excited about this year’s possibilities, though they know they will need to be patient with their young team.
"My staff has done a great job of putting the kids in a position to get better," he said.
Assisting Fallon this year are Ryan Legere (defensive coordinator/middle linebackers), Jerry Gagliano (defensive backs/special teams), Joe Lanza (defensive line), Kevin James (outside linebackers), Nick Varanelli (offensive line), Joe Passo (offensive coordinator/QB/wide receivers), John Duffy (running backs), and Matt McDonough and Chris Foreman (freshmen).