Football: Rumson-Fair Haven at Red Bank Catholic Game Preview

Photo by Tom Smith https://www.tspsportsimages.co...

RED BANK – Two of the top programs in Shore Conference history will square off against each other Friday night at Count Basie Field in a battle of two top 10 teams which a few years back were two of the fiercest rivals in the Shore.

For 60 years the Caseys and Bulldogs battled each other in their annual Thanksgiving Day Classic before the rivalry game was terminated following the 2013 season with Red Bank Catholic holding a 30-24-6 advantage after winning the final 11 games to close out the series.

However, in the 2018 season the two schools renewed the rivalry game – just not on Thanksgiving - with the Caseys eking out a 14-13 win. Then last year, the Bulldogs beat the Red Bank Catholic 20-14 for their first win against the RBC since 2002.

No. 6 RED BANK CATHOLIC (1-1) – The Caseys entered the season ranked sixth in the preseason polls before pulling off a mild upset defeating No. 4 Mater Dei 10-3 on opening night. The defense rose to the occasion making two key goal-line stands in the fourth quarter. Mater Dei drove to the 7-yard line looking at a first-and-goal midway through the fourth quarter before the defense stiffened. On third-and-goal from the 2-yard line senior middle linebacker Luke Guidetti made the stop at the 1-yard line bringing up a fourth-and-goal. On fourth down junior defensive end Alex Bauman shed a block to plug the gap before leveling the runner short of the goal line with the help of senior safety Anthony Borriello – a first-team All-Shore selection a year ago. The Caseys were then forced to punt out of the end zone giving Mater Dei excellent field position at the RBC 26-yard line with 4:26 remaining in the game. Five plays and a penalty later the Seraphs had a first-and-goal from the 5-yard line. The tenacious Caseys defense then caught a break when the snap from center was mishandled with sophomore linebacker Sabino Portella there to pounce on it to preserve the victory. The offense did just enough to win against one of the better defenses in the Shore. Borriello – in his first start as the full-time quarterback – tossed a 20-yard second quarter touchdown pass to sophomore transfer Naji Rahman, who caught six passes for 89 yards and has all the earmarks of a dynamic player. Senior Mike O’Connor added a first quarter 25-yard field goal. The following week the Caseys comeback attempt fell short in their 32-25 loss to No. 9 Middletown South. Down 25-7 at the half, RBC drew within three points 25-22 after three quarters on a 25-yard run by Portella and 20-yard Borriello to Rahman touchdown and Borriello’s two-point conversion run. South then extended its lead to 32-22 before a late RBC drive stalled and they settled for an O’Connor 25-yard field goal to pull within 32-25 with 1:54 left in the game but that’s how it ended. For the season, Borriello is 24-of-46 for 259 yards passing with two touchdowns with an additional 65-yards rushing on 15 attempts. Rahman has 10 catches for 137 yards and two scores and Bauman 4 receptions for 54 yards. Portella has TD runs of 27 and two yards. Defensively, Bauman has recorded 20 tackles and leads the team with six tackles for loss and two sacks. Senior defensive tackle Jake Lauro – a 6-foot-1, 270 pound first-team All-Shore selection – has chipped in with nine tackles, including three tackles for loss while Portella is having a breakout sophomore campaign with 22 tackles and one tackle of loss and sack. Senior outside linebacker Scott Ungemah leads the team with 24 tackles, including three tackles of loss and one sack while senior defensive tackle J.J. has added a sack to his resume.

No. 2 RUMSON-FAIR HAVEN (2-0) – The Bulldogs, ranked No. 7 in the state, have dominated their two opponents outscoring them by a combined score of 69-9, including a 41-9 opening night rout of Middletown North and a 28-0 shutout of No. 8 Long Branch last week. In the win over North, senior running back John Volker got things rolling with TD runs of 60 and eight yards to stake the Bulldogs to a quick 14-0 lead. An interception by senior safety Ian Littman set up senior quarterback Josh Harmon’s 45-yard touchdown bomb to senior wideout Patrick Jamin, who then hauled in his second TD catch in a row - a Harmon 21-yard scoring strike to push the lead to 28-0. Harmon followed that up using his legs to score on a nifty 19-yard TD run to set the running clock in motion at 35-0 in the third quarter. Senior cornerback Jimmy Kennedy added a pick six to complete the scoring. Volker rushed for 121 yards on 10 attempts with two scores while Harmon completed 12-of-16 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns. Of Harmon’s passing yardage, 120 of those yards were to Jamin, who finished with five receptions and two TD’s. Defensive stalwart, Von Factor – a second-team All-Shore defensive tackle – recorded 10 tackles, including his first sack of the season. Against Long Branch, Volker wasted little time ripping off touchdown runs of 56 and 58 yards respectively on his fist two touches of the game again handing the Bulldogs a quick 14-0 lead. In the second quarter Harmon connected with junior Geoff Schroder for a 7-yard touchdown to push the lead to 21-0 and Volker completed the scoring breaking off a 34-yard touchdown run down the right side of the field for a 28-0 lead. Rumson’s front seven held the Green Wave to 45-yard rushing on 28 attempts for a 1.6 yards per carry average. Junior outside linebacker John Lista led the outstanding effort with 12 tackles and two sacks. Junior defensive end Aiden Moriarty and senior defensive tackle Thomas Quadarella each picked off passes on tips and senior Ryan Ruane added an interception in the secondary which limited Long Branch to 97 yards through the air, including holding star receiver Jayden Farmer to two receptions for 17 yards. Volker finished with 171 yards on 11 carries and three scores. For the season, Volker – a Princeton commit - has rushed for 289 yards and five touchdowns on just 23 attempts for an average of 12.6 yards per carry. Harmon is 21-of-34 for 240 yards and three touchdowns passes with one pick while Jamin leads all receiver with seven catches for 139 yards and three scores. Defensively, Lista leads the team with 21 tackles along with two sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception. Factor is once again a cog in the middle recording 19 tackles and two sacks while Moriarty – a third-team All-Shore selection after recording 13.5 sacks – has posted 16 tackles with two sacks and a pick and fellow lineman, Jack Kelly, has a sack along with 12 tackles. Ryan McKay has moved to middle linebacker from the outside and is following up his breakout sophomore campaign with a stellar start to his junior season by recording 18 tackles. First-year starter Tommy Swain has established himself at outside linebacker posting 19 tackles – second on the team - while Ruane – a first-team All-Shore safety and Holy Cross commit – has added 14 tackles and an interception. The Bulldogs defense is ranked second in the Shore allowing just nine points in two games.

KEYS TO THE GAME FOR RED BANK CATHOLIC: Stop Volker or at least slow him down. Avoid costly turnovers that lead to Rumson points and short fields. Get the running game untracked to eat up the clock on sustained drives and open up the passing game. Look for Rahman on downfield plays but also get the tight end involved as a second option. Utilize Borriello’s athleticism on RPO’s to keep Rumson’s defense from teeing off on him. Turn defensive turnovers into points.

KEYS TO THE GAME FOR RUMSON: Dominate the line of scrimmage forcing RBC to play a one-dimensional game. Keep the pressure on Boriello to take away the big plays downfield to Rahman. Unleash Volker early and let him do his thing. Set up the play-action pass for Harmon to connect with Jamin downfield. Continue to create turnovers and convert them into points. Play the Rumson brand of defense.

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