3-Time Defending Champion Rumson Reaches SCT Quarterfinals

RUMSON – The Rumson-Fair Haven flag football team feels like all the pieces are finally starting to fit together just in time for the Bulldogs to defend their Shore Conference Tournament title. 

Seventh-seeded Rumson scored twice in the first half and the defense took it from there to close out a 12-7 win over 10th-seeded Keansburg at Borden Stadium on Tuesday in the first round of the SCT. Senior quarterback Izzy Capra threw a touchdown pass and ran for another score for all the points the Bulldogs (8-3) would need as they advanced to face unbeaten Trinity Hall, the No. 2 seed, in the quarterfinals on Thursday. 

Rumson had not lost a regular-season game since 2023 before suffering losses to Middletown South, Holmdel and undefeated Wayne Valley this spring. The hope is that a tough schedule now pays off with another deep postseason run, this time as an underdog instead of a heavy favorite like the past few seasons. 

“I think we had some tough games, but I think we’re getting it back and fitting all the pieces together,” Capra said. “I feel like we didn’t have everything right. Now the offense is really keeping its composure and everyone is running perfect routes, and it’s just working a lot better for us right now.” 

The three-time defending SCT champions halted the Titans’ six-game winning streak and beat them for the second time this season after an 8-6 slugfest in the season opener. 

“We love the playoffs,” head coach Randy Kalman said. “It’s a lot of fun.” 

The game looked like it might be a shootout after both teams scored on their opening possessions, but the defenses settled in from there. Rumson began the game with a 10-play, 66-yard drive that ended when Capra found senior wide receiver Savannah Porter for a 17-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-goal for a 6-0 lead. 

“It was actually kind of a broken play,” Kalman said. “Izzy made something happen. She’s fantastic.” 

On Keansburg’s first play on the ensuing drive, sophomore Nariyah Mathis took a toss and exploded down the sideline for a 66-yard touchdown run. Mathis then caught an extra-point pass from junior quarterback Gianna Bettinger for a 7-6 lead. 

Rumson answered with another clock-eating, 14-play, 66-yard drive to take the lead for good. Capra converted a fourth-and-6 when she found Lily McLaughlin for a 10-yard gain and then scrambled for 15 yards on third-and-13 for another first down. The senior quarterback capped the drive by juking multiple defenders and spinning into the end zone for an 8-yard touchdown run and a 12-7 lead with 5:30 left in the first half. 

While Rumson only scored 12 points, it controlled the clock with long drives that kept Keansburg’s offense off the field. Capra finished 14-for-22 for 134 yards passing and also ran for 31 yards. 

“It’s been a huge adjustment to the new rules, so I think from game one we’ve learned a lot,” Kalman said. “We’ve been able to put in more things, attack differently and block better.” 

Rumson shook off the long touchdown run by Mathis to bottle up the Keansburg offense the rest of the way. Senior Victoria Santos had an interception to end the first half, and junior Summer O’Malley led the way with four tackles for a loss after moving past the frustration of letting Mathis get outside to score on that initial run. 

“I was really not in a good mindset after that because I thought it was my fault, but everyone was super uplifting, and everyone was motivated to get it back,” O’Malley said. 

The closest Keansburg got to the end zone in the second half was Rumson’s 22-yard line, but the Bulldogs forced an incompletion to get a turnover on downs. 

Now Rumson-Fair Haven will have to go through undefeated Trinity Hall, sophomore star quarterback Sonia DeRosa and the Shore Conference’s leading receiver, Maddie Rigney, if the Bulldogs want to keep their hopes of a four-peat alive. 

“We know what to expect, we know how to handle high-pressure games, and it just makes it more fun,” Capra said. 

“We’ll just have to match them and do our thing, and it should be a really fun game,” Kalman said. 

Scott Stump is the football editor and a reporter for Shore Sports Insider. He first started covering Shore Conference football in 1999 and has covered basketball, baseball and seemingly every other Shore Conference sport at some point. 

Email: scottstump25@gmail.com