Sports Blog: Preview of Long Time Rivals Rumson-Fair Haven And Shore Regional Thanksgiving Game Series

Photo above: The Blue Devils Doug Goldsmith likely to miss game with nagging ankle injury.

WEST LONG BRANCH – The Bulldogs made the decision to pull the plug on their traditional Thanksgiving rivalry game with Red Bank Catholic after 67 years and will now begin a new holiday series with a familiar foe, Shore Regional.

The inaugural game will be played Thanksgiving Eve at Shore Regional with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Rumson-Fair Haven and Shore Regional have played each other in a number of sports over the years and have developed natural rivalries in those sports that are some of the most heated in the Shore. The two schools have opened the football season against each other the past two seasons so this seems like a natural fit for both schools.

“We no longer have Red Bank Catholic as a divisional opponent and we felt we’ve had a nice rivalry with Shore Regional, which is a good matchup for us.” Rumson- Fair Haven athletic director Chris Lanalotte said.

The Rumson-Fair Haven – Red Bank Catholic Thanksgiving game was the fourth longest standing Thanksgiving game in the Shore Conference. The two teams first met in 1947 with the game ending in a scoreless tie. The series ended in 1951, but resumed in 1957 until last year. However, RBC had won 12 games in a row against the Bulldogs since a 6-2 loss in 2001 and holds a 32-22-5 record with many of the recent games resulting in lopsided wins for the Caseys.

Furthermore, the landscape of the Shore Conference Thanksgiving Day game is changing as many in the New Jersey high school football community view this game as a nuisance and a stumbling block behind a movement to expand the high school football playoffs so that New Jersey can crown group champions instead of the 24 sectional title that are awarded in the current playoff system.

The Shore Conference is now down to 10 Thanksgiving games, including two games played on Wednesday, Thanksgiving eve. Neither RBC nor Point Pleasant Beach – Shore Regionals opponent in recent Thanksgiving games – has games scheduled for Thanksgiving.

The Bulldogs (8-2), ranked 10th in the Shore Conference, finished second in the Class A Central division one game a game behind third ranked St. John Vianney (10-1), who lost 38-26 to Delbarton in last weekend’s Non-Public Group III semifinals. Rumson has won six games in a row, outscoring its opponents 213-66 in the process and appears to be peaking at the right time.

After winning their second state title last year, the Bulldogs are trying to win back-to-back championships for the first time in program history while reaching the finals for the fifth time since 2007. The Bulldogs are 18-3 under second-year head coach Bryan Batchler.

Two weeks ago in the Central Jersey Group II opening round, the No.2 seeded Bulldogs thumped seventh seeded Johnson 35-7. 2013 Shore Conference Offensive Player of the Year Charlie Volker rushed for 172 yards on 28 carries with three touchdowns and looks to be healed up from a severely sprained ankle that kept him out of three games this season and slowed him on several others. Volker – Rumson’s all-time leading rusher – has still managed to run for 1,256 yards on 154 carries with 17 touchdowns. The Bulldogs are 19-1 with Volker in the starting lineup the past two seasons.

Super sophomore quarterback Mike O’Connor picked up 143 yards on the ground and a touchdown on just 12 carries as the Bulldogs piled up 425-yards rushing. Senior Lucas Seckler added an 18-yard touchdown run in the win. Junior defensive back Mike Caruso had an interception and linebackers Tucker Briggs, Max Pfrang and James Melia each had fumble recoveries for the Bulldogs.

In last weekend’s semifinal game versus third-seeded Cinnaminson (8-2) the Bulldogs clobbered the Pirates 49-13. Volker had 126 yards and a pair of 15-yard touchdown runs while O’Connor threw a 30-yard scoring toss to tight end Kenny Ferrare. He went 4-of-5 for 115 yards passing and had seven carries for 41 yards on the ground including an eight-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Although the Bulldogs are a run-first team, O’Connor has still thrown for 456 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for 836 yards on 111 carries and 10 touchdowns. His favorite target this season has been 5-foot-11, 185-pound wideout Murray McHeffey who has grabbed 14 O’Connor passes for 262 yards with three touchdowns.

Senior defensive back Jackson Reid returned an interception 50 yards for a touchdown and Lucas Seckler and Seamus Walsh each added touchdown runs for the Bulldogs.

Defensively, the Bulldogs are led by linebackers Pfrang, a junior and Briggs, a senior with senior linemen Cooper Cuje and Ben Eisenstadt anchoring the defense up front. In the secondary, Reid and Sam Eisenstadt and junior Mike Caruso provide excellent pass coverage as well a rugged run support.

The Bulldogs will now face fifth seeded Delaware Valley (7-3) - who upset No.1 seed Roselle (7-3) in the semifinals - Saturday, December 6 at Kean University for the championship with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m.

Shore Regional (9-1) won their second straight Class B Central title and was awarded the No.1 seed in the Central Jersey Group I playoffs. Their only loss of the season was to North Jersey Group I No.1 seed Dunellen (8-1) in a game they led 7-0 in the fourth quarter before eventually losing 16-7 on a late-game interception return for a touchdown.

Since that game, they’ve won six in a row including four shutouts and have outscored its opponents 178-21 in those games. Two weeks ago in first-round action they destroyed division rival Pt. Beach 49-0 without its star running back/linebacker Doug Goldsmith – out with an ankle injury – as they pounded out 270 yards rushing.

The Blue Devils are one of the few remaining teams in the shore that still operate out of the classic Wing-T formation but they run it to perfection, while boasting a stable of running backs that are all capable of doing major damage to opposing defenses.

In their first-round win, a trio of junior running backs: Tyreek McCain (7-69, 2 TD), Alex Johnson (2-52, TD) and Devin McLayghlin (3-63, TD) combined to average 15.3 yards per carry in the win. Senior quarterback Ryan Campi added 12 yards on two carries including a 5-yard touchdown and went 1-of-3 with a 27-yard scoring toss to junior tight end Connor Rempel.

All-Division linebacker/OL James Bedell returned an interception for a touchdown and recorded seven tackles giving him 114 on the year which ranks him fourth in tackles in the Shore Conference.

Shore then beat fourth-seeded Middlesex 28-13 in last week’s semifinal to advance to their third straight state final. Against Middlesex it was a one-point game, 14-13, at the half before the Blue Devils took control of the game running off 37 plays compared to the Blue Jays 11.

Goldsmith returned to action but was limited as he aggravated his injured ankle again, but still managed to pick up 89 yards on seven carries. In his absence, McCain stepped up huge for Shore rushing for 169 yards on 21 carries and two touchdowns, with 160 of those yards coming in the second half. Senior Mike Moore added 36 yards on nine carries as the Blue Devils rolled up 308 yards on the ground on 50 attempts.

Rempel had a fumble recovery in the end zone for the first score of the game and Campi ran it in from the one-yard line to hand Shore a 14-0 first quarter lead.

As a team, the Blue Devils have rushed for 2,459 yards this season with Goldsmith’s 525 yards in just five games leading the team. McCain’s big game gives him 506 yards on 66 attempts with six touchdowns while Moore has run for 497 yards on 67 carries and five scores. Johnson’s added 318 yards to the total on only 37 carries and has rushed for six touchdowns and senior Kyle Masica has contributed 194 yards on 37 attempts and two touchdowns. With this group of backs, Shore has the weapons to pound its opposition into submission no matter who’s toting the rock.

Campi is a field general and has directed the offense flawlessly all season long. When called upon he produces, averaging 4.9 yards per carry on 21 attempts this season with three touchdowns and passing for 146 yards while picking up his first touchdown pass of the season last week.

Defensively, Bedell and Goldsmith line up next to each other inside forming one of the best linebacking tandems in the Shore. Mclaughlin, along with Rempel and Campi on the outside give the Blue Devils a very solid – if not spectacular – group of linebackers. Senior defensive end Mitchell Candido and 6-foot-0, 285-pound junior defensive tackle Steve Fiumefreddo get the job done up front while Johnson, Masica and sophomore safety Matt Pennell supply run support as well as excellent pass coverage in the secondary.

After two consecutive losses in the state finals, Shore is looking to bring home the programs sixth state title when it takes on third-seeded South Hunterdon (8-2) – a 28-14 winner versus second-seeded Palmyra in the semifinals - Saturday, December 6 at Kean University with kickoff scheduled for 10:00 a.m. The Blue Devils are in search of their first CJGI championship since 2010.

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To see more Thanksgiving Day games, go to: http://patch.com/new-jersey/longbranch/thanksgiving-day-football-rivalry-shore-regional-west-long-branch-vs-rumson-fair-haven