Rumson Fair-Haven Quietly Confident of Chances for a Three-Peat

Photo above: L to R Butch Clark, A.J. Kelly Maxx Pfrang, Mike Caruso, Mike O’Connor and Mike Ruane. Photo taken at @JSNSPORTINGNEWS photo shoot.

RUMSON – Last season the Bulldogs won their second straight state title and third since 2010 giving the school its first back-to-back state championships in program history.

All-State running back Charlie Volker was the driving force behind both championship runs as he torched the opposition for an eye-popping 2,108 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns in 2013 while being named the Shore Conference Player of the Year. A year later, despite playing on a bad ankle the entire year and missing time, he shredded his way to 1,441 yards and 18 touchdowns, including 160 yards and a 48-yard touchdown run in the championship.

Volker is now at Princeton University and for the first time in three years the Bulldogs will be chasing a title without their star back.

Most have assumed that without Volker this will be a down year for the Bulldogs, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth. Year-after-year from top-to-bottom this is a program that continues to feed quality student athletes into all levels of the program without missing a beat and this year is no different.

“People might think I’m a little crazy,” head coach Bryan Batchler (3rd season 20-4) said. “But even without Charlie I think we could be better team than last year and quite possibly better than the 2013 team.”

Dual-threat junior quarterback Michael O’Connor will do his best to help soften the blow of losing Volker after putting together a solid 2014 season when he ran for 912 yards with 11 touchdowns while passing for another 485 yards and seven touchdowns.

“We’ll be lining up in the spread offense this season and throwing the ball more,” O’Connor said. “But we’ve got three great running backs that I have total confidence in.”

“We’re impressed with Michal’s leadership and have very high expectations for him” Batchler said. “He has a lot of experience and has had a tremendous off-season, not only in the weight room where he put on 15 pounds of muscle, but in camps making him a legitimate 1A prospect.

O’Connor was referring to junior running backs Matt Veccharelli and Bryan Hess and senior Lachlan Hull. Veccharelli appears to have won the starting job and has the most game-time experience of the three. Veccharelli stepped in for the injured Volker against St. John Vianney gaining 138 yards on 19 carries so he’s no stranger to pressure situations. Hess had six carries for 27 yards while Hull picked up 23 yards on four touches. Hull will line up at wide receiver this season as well. Sophomore Gavin Pomphrey is waiting in the wings.

Besides Hull, who caught five balls for 50 yards last season, the receiving corps be manned by newcomers. However, 6-foot-6 sophomore Elijah Mcallister has been a revelation after an excellent preseason showing and has the potential to become a big-time receiving threat in the mold of former Giant Plaxico Buress. He was the first man off the bench and a crowd favorite as a freshman center on the Bulldogs basketball team last season and his agility and athleticism has translated well onto the football field.

Senior John Kingdon and 6-foot-4 junior Tyler Pierson have performed well and are in the mix for a starting job while seniors Noah Stoudemire and A.J. Bruno will back up.

The offensive line returns two starters and one with starting experience. As a unit they are big and strong and should develop into a cohesive unit sooner than later. Senior tackle James Oncea (6-foot-3, 245 lbs.) and junior guard Tim Leonard (6-foot-3, 280 lbs.) are both returning starters while senior A.J. Kelly (6-foot-1, 260 lbs.) has two starts under his belt at center. Sophomore Nate Raphan (6-foot-3, 305 lbs.) gets the start opposite Oncea at the other tackle spot and senior Brian Lawless (6-foot-3, 220 lbs.) and sophomore Justin Johnson (6-foot-2, 220 lbs.) are battling it out for the other starting guard position. Leonard is a road grader and one of the top linemen in the Shore.

Past Bulldogs defenses have the reputation as being rugged, hard-nosed and physical units that never stop coming at you. This year’s defense returns eight starters from a group that gave up a mere 13.6 points a game last season and fits that same mold.

Rumson brings back three linebackers that are the backbone of the defense in their 4-3 scheme. Middle linebacker Mike Ruane had a breakout sophomore season which saw him record 102 tackles en route to being named All-Division for his efforts. At strong side linebacker is senior captain Maxx Pfrang who managed to make 75 tackles despite an injury plagued season, but once he was healthy at the end of the year he was “killer” according to Batchler. James Melia will man the weekside after chipping in with 52 tackles last season as a sophomore.

“Ruane had a tremendous year last season we expect even more this year,” Batchler said. “He put on 20 pounds of muscle and can dead lift over 500 pounds – he’s incredibly strong. He’s definitely a scholarship player.”

The defensive line is anchored by senior Butchy Clark at one defensive tackle spot. Clark - undersized for a tackle – is a tough as they come. He’s relentless in his pursuit with a motor that never stops leading to 9.5 sacks last season – good for seventh in the Shore. Junior Liam Adams (6-foot-0, 265 lbs.) will line up at starting tackle next to Clark and comes with high expectations. Senior Matt Waters is back at defensive end after a solid season that saw him force a fumble and recover for a touchdown in the championship. Junior Jack Woods (6-foot-2, 210 lbs.) moves over from offensive tackle and will start opposite Waters on the other side at end. Senior Ian Clark will be in the rotation as well.

Senior cornerbacks Griffin Schultz and Mike Carusso and junior strong safety Mike Murdock combined for seven interceptions last season with Carusso picking off a team-high three balls. Junior Emmit Jennings gets the nod at starting free safety. Juniors Pat Russo and Jake Giannotto will see time as well in the backfield.

“You don’t replace a Charlie Volker – he’s the best running back in school history. Batchler said. We’ve changed our offense from the I formation to the shotgun to take advantage of our strengths. We’ll throw the ball more this year but we do have quality people at running back that will get plenty of touches.”