Following a tough loss to St. John Vianney in rain-soaked Holmdel on Oct. 2, the Rumson-Fair Haven High School football team seeks to rebound with a home game against Long Branch on Oct. 9.
With its 13-6 victory, St. John Vianney is 4-0 overall and 3-0 in the Shore Conference’s Class A Central Division. The loss dropped Rumson-Fair Haven to 2-1.
Early on it looked like things might go Rumson’s way as the visitors jumped to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter when junior quarterback Michael O’Connor scored on a 3-yard run. The Lancers knotted things in the second period when Anthony Brown hooked up with Marcque Ellington for 75 yards and a TD.
Following the break, St. John Vianney made the decisive score after Tyler Tedeschi blocked a Bulldogs punt, giving the Lancers the ball at the Rumson 27-yard line. St. John Vianney methodically ran the ball on five successive plays, taking the lead when Calvin Beatty crossed the goal line after a 3-yard run.
“Overall, I thought our defense played pretty well,” Rumson coach Bryan Batchler said. “They had the one big play, but their other score came when they had a short field to work with.”
The Bulldogs looked like they would answer right back, as they took the next possession inside the Lancers’ 5-yard line but were unable to score. An offensive pass interference call curtailed another Bulldogs drive.
RFH was held to 140 yards on the ground, with O’Connor accounting for 102 of those yards. Mike Vecchiarelli ran for 38 yards. Chris Chulweneke topped the Lancers with 65 of his team’s 159 yards on the ground.
“It was a game we expected to win, but we didn’t bring our A game and Vianney brought theirs,” Batchler said. “They deserve a lot of credit. It was a difficult game because the conditions were bad, but Vianney had to play in them, too.”
He noted that because of the poor conditions both team primarily ran the ball. “On the one hand I would like our guys to be a little more aggressive up front and for our runners to do a better job of following their blockers,” Batchler added. “On the other hand, they knew we were going to run, and they stacked the box and were right on our guys. Still, you have to score when you have first-andgoal from the 5-yard line.”
With the win St. John Vianney now has 46 power points, good for first place in the race for the NJSIAA Non Public Group III playoffs. The Lancers will visit Manchester Township (0-4) on Oct. 9 for a non-divisional contest. Manchester is coming off a 26-6 loss at the hands of Point Pleasant Boro.
Rumson is currently tied with Ewing for sixth place with 24 power points in Central Jersey Group III. The Bulldogs, however, have played only three games, while all the teams ahead of them have four games under their belts.
RFH now takes on a 2-2 Long Branch team that comes off a 6-0 victory against Colts Neck.
“We have a lot of respect for [coach] Dan George and Long Branch,” Batchler said. “They have a very good defensive team and they will test our offense. They don’t score a lot, and we’re a tough team to move the ball against. Hopefully, that will work in our favor.”