RFH Winter Sports Exceed Expectations

If there was one common theme, one all-pervasive and intertwining common factor in RumsonFair Haven Regional High School’s (RFH) winter sports, it would have to be their toughness, tenacity and team sportsmanship.

An ‘All for one, One for All’ attitude.  That sense of team-first combined with a student body that exhibits an unrivaled amount of school spirit, make up the ingredients for success, learning, growing up, and victory for all involved: the athletes, the fans, the parents, coaches, school staff, and maybe most importantly, the entire community.

It was a very successful 2010-11 campaign for RFH’s winter sports programs.

Boys Basketball

The Boy’s varsity basketball team outdid all expectations, ending their regular season with a 17-7 overall record, 8-3 in their conference, ending up in second place in their group, which included Raritan of course, who finished first. 

In the beginning of the season, Coach Chris Champeau was confident his team would improver this season.  "We had a pretty good year last season. And this year, we fully intend to build on it,” he said in December.  And they did exactly that.

The perpetual underdog ‘dawgs’ surprised everyone by taking their 13th seeded squad to the Shore Conference final for the first time in school history. This is a big accomplishment for a second year coach and improvement for the team.

The Bulldogs played the Raritan Rockets in the finals and lost 43-35. "They've been underdogs the whole season," Coach Champeau said at the end of the game.  "I wish we would have won of course, but I'm extremely proud of everyone in the program."

In post-season play, the boys won their first two games in the NJ State Tournament, advancing to the third round. In an extremely close game, the boys had a tough loss to Ewing High School in the semifinals with a final score of 51-53.  

Although, they did not make it to the finals, the boys can be proud of their season and the improvements they made in the program overall.

Girls Basketball

The Lady Bulldogs ended their season with a 21-6 overall record, 10-2 in their conference.  Head Coach George Sourlis hopes to continue his winning season as he gets his girls ready for the NJSIAA state tournament finals.

Back in Decemeber, Coach Sourlis and his senior girls stated their main goal: Anything less than a state title would be a letdown. "We've got one goal and one goal only. That is to win a state championship," said Ashley Cooper, a senior shooting guard.

That goal could become a reality. They are scheduled to play the final round of the post-season tournament on March 8. A victory against their opponent, Shabazz High School, would mean a lot to the Bulldogs, giving them a chance to avenge a loss to them last year.

Hockey

The RFH Hockey team also enjoyed an excellent season under first-year Head Coach Chris McCafferty.  The skating Bulldogs finished the regular season with a 16-3-1 record, then advancing to the second round of their post-season tournament with a win over Freehold Borough.  Their final record, playoffs included, was a very respectable 17-5-1.

“This was a ‘getting to know you’ year,” said Coach McCafferty when speaking about his team’s 2010-11 season.  “At our first team meeting, we spoke about just trying our best to play .500 hockey, just to make the post-season. But these guys exceeded all that and better,” said the coach.

“And for next year?” McCafferty said. “I absolutely expect to be better. We’ve got four or five J.V. guys moving up to the varsity squad, so I fully expect a marked improvement for next year.”

 Wrestling

Seth Herman, the head coach of the RFH wrestling team, was also pleased with his team’s level of achievement for the year.

“We had a good season this year,” he said.  “We were able to squeeze a couple of wins towards the end of the season.  We came from behind to beat Manasquan in our last match.  Senior Stephen Becker bumped up two weight classes to wrestle heavyweight and that sealed the victory for us. That was something.”

Unlike most other sports, where a team’s overall record is a true reflection of the team’s success, wrestling matches are comprised of individual bouts.  Many times a team can achieve more individual victories, but because of the scoring system, end up on the losing side of the team’s final score; such was the case for the Bulldogs during many of this season’s matches.

 The wrestling dog's overall record was a deceptive 4-16 with a conference record of 1-5.

“Now we’re focusing on off-season training,” Coach Herman said. 

He also said he has high expectations for next year. “Our sophomores showed great improvement this year and did much better than I expected. We have a lot of guys returning next year along with a strong group of freshmen coming in,” he said. “We should, hopefully, have the strongest season we’ve had in a while next year.”

 Swimming

The swimming Bulldogs also had a better than expected winter campaign, with four of their top swimmers heading to the NJ State Meet in March. Those attending the meet are Sarah Osmulski (200 Freestyle, 100 Butterfly & Relays), Gigi Russo (50 Freestyle and Relays), Caitlin Fox (Relays) and Diedre McCarthy (Relays).

Girl’s Head Coach Meghan Jones said she was proud of her team this year. She also wishes good luck to all her departing graduating seniors: Katie Boyle, Jocelyn Delaney, Gigi Russo, and Gianna Maita. “Thanks for all you’ve done for our team and best of luck!” she said.

The aquatic boys’ Head Coach Tom Toohey said his favorite quote by Abraham Maslow describes their season: “If I were dropped out of a plane and told that land was 1,000 miles away, I’d still swim, and despise anyone who gave up.”

He said that although his team was smaller than usual this year, he is proud of their accomplishments. Coach Toohey said he has a swimmer on the team that he is very proud of this season. "A boy by the name of Hayden Schuman.  He's a Freshman with Autism, but he's a good swimmer who scores for us and what an example he is of what someone with obstacles can overcome," he said.

Indoor Track

And last but certainly not least, the indoor track team was also more than competitive in their meets, at one point even breaking a state record.

In the beginning of the season, Head Coach McCloone said he had high expectations for a much-improved girl's squad. "Last year we had an extremely young girl's team with a lot of freshman. This year they'll be older and much more competitive I'm sure," he said. And he was right.

Their girl’s 4x400 relay team not only broke records, but also earned them a spot in the County and State post-season meets. Shannon McCarthy also qualified for the individual 800 meter run state championship.

Congratulations to all of the winter athletes on their successful seasons!