By Warren Rappleyea
Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School’s victory in the NJSIAA Central Jersey, Group III championship was like a blockbuster sequel to a hit movie.
After struggling early and falling behind, 14-0, Rumson-Fair Haven’s football team rallied to defeat South Plainfield High School, 27-22, to win the Central Jersey, Group III title Dec. 3 at Rutgers University’s High Point Solutions Stadium.
The victory gave Rumson-Fair Haven its second Central Jersey, Group III championship in a row and fourth successive state sectional crown. In both 2014 and 2013, Rumson-Fair Haven won in Central Jersey, Group II. The script was a familiar one for coach Jerry Schulte’s Bulldogs, who fell behind top-seeded Somerville High School also by a 14-0 score before coming back to win their semifinals matchup.
On the surface, Rumson-Fair Haven’s solid defense and ball-control attack does not seem suited for playing from behind, but the Bulldogs proved otherwise.
“We choose to play ball control,” Schulte said. “We have the athletes to make big plays and they did. Look at [running back] Matt Vecchiarelli. He’s going to run for 3 yards, 2 yards, 5 yards, yet he’s capable of breaking off an 80-yard run. That’s just what he did.”
Immediately after third-seeded South Plainfield scored its second touchdown of the game three minutes into the second quarter, Vecchiarelli answered back for the Bulldogs. The senior reeled off an 80-yard scoring run to shift the game’s momentum and cut the Tigers’ lead in half.
Rumson-Fair Haven equalized early in the third quarter, as Vecchiarelli scored on a 2-yard run. Before the quarter ended, the Bulldogs were in front, as Vecchiarelli scored a third touchdown — this time on a 60-yard run. After a poor South Plainfield punt, Rumson-Fair Haven cashed in again early in the fourth when quarterback Michael O’Connor capped a short drive with a 17-yard scoring run to make it 27-14.
With time running down in the quarter, the Tigers blocked a Rumson-Fair Haven punt for the second time and pushed into end zone two plays later. South Plainfield recovered from a poor snap on the PAT to score two points.
“Our guys handled the situation very well,” Schulte said. “Overall, we have a very business-like attitude. We knew that our offense would get going, and we felt [South Plainfield] had a few things go their way and that that would even out. Our defense was playing well. You have to remember they had a short field for their first touchdown.”
After going three and out on its first possession, the Tigers blocked a Thomas Chapin punt and recovered at the Bulldogs’ 10-yard line. South Plainfield quickly scored for an early 7-0 lead. Three minutes into the second quarter, the lead was 14-0 after Zach Davidson bounced off a pair of Rumson-Fair Haven tacklers to score on an 8-yard run.
Vecchiarelli led all runners with 195 yards on 23 carries to go with his three touchdowns. O’Connor added 118 yards on 17 tries and also completed three of nine passing attempts. Defensively, linebackers Mike Ruane and Keegan Woods topped the Bulldogs with eight and seven tackles, respectively.
“Our defense really did the job in the second half, and South Plainfield really wasn’t able to do anything until they blocked the second punt,” Schulte said. “That made the difference for us.”
