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Best of Both Worlds: Freshmen, Veterans Lead Middletown South to Big Win

Matt Manley|January 11, 2026|Last Updated January 12, 2026

MIDDLETOWN — Middletown South freshman Ryan Gannon held the Hoop Group’s Most Valuable Player trophy Saturday following his team’s biggest win of the season and felt compelled to throw credit to a senior teammate he believed made the greater difference than Gannon did in the Eagles’ win over previously unbeaten Rumson-Fair Haven.

Senior Nick Cannizzaro played the primary ballhandler role as a junior in 2024-25 and has had to carve out a slightly different role to make room for Gannon to do everything he has done in just his first 10 games as a varsity basketball player. On Saturday, against the No. 2 team in the Shore Sports Insider Top 10, the Eagles got the best of both worlds: Gannon showed why he is a freshman worth turning a lineup upside down to accommodate, while Cannizzaro and fellow senior guard Matt Trimble displayed both their leadership and adaptability.

Gannon drew MVP honors with 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and a back-breaking 35-foot bank shot to end the first half, while Cannizzaro and Trimble combined for 27 points and led the defensive effort in a resounding 68-54 win over the previously unbeaten, albeit undermanned, Bulldogs.

Middletown South freshman Ryan Gannon shadowed by Rumson-Fair Haven junior Casey Moore. (Photo: Patrick Olivero) - Midd South vs Rumson

Middletown South freshman Ryan Gannon shadowed by Rumson-Fair Haven junior Casey Moore. (Photo: Patrick Olivero)

“I thought he deserved MVP of that game,” Gannon said of Cannizzaro. “He is our best defender, and taking on the other team’s best player is not easy. He gave us a lot of energy today, and we needed it. This was a great win.”

Middletown South led wire to wire in the final game of the Hoop Group’s Boardwalk Showcase. Once the Eagles went up 9-2 in the opening minutes of the game, Rumson never got its deficit lower than six. The Bulldogs were within eight with 4.5 seconds left in the first half, but Gannon sent them to the locker room with a gut punch in the form of a running 35-foot three-pointer that the freshman banked in as time expired to give his team a 33-22 lead at the break. Rumson did not draw closer than eight points in the second half.

“Taking over the game is something I have always been good at, but you have to have teammates to find you in those right spots,” Gannon said. “My teammates have shown a lot of trust in me, and they have done a lot to help me be successful and help our team be successful.”

Cannizzaro helped jumpstart Middletown South with eight of his 13 points in the first quarter and also added three assists and four steals. With key players dropping out of the Rumson lineup throughout the game, Cannizzaro took on several one-on-one assignments on defense and delivered a defining moment early in the fourth quarter.

With freshman Clint Martin hurting the Eagles as part of 19-point game and 15-point second half, Cannizzaro looked toward his team’s bench and signaled that he was going to guard Martin. On his first possession on Martin, Cannizzaro denied him the ball and stole a pass, which fired up the Eagles bench even more than the double-digit lead did.

“Cannizzaro is a throwback,” Middletown South coach Mike Iasparro said. “He is all about energy, he plays super hard, and he is our best defender. He’s our lockdown guy. He started every game last year as our primary ballhandler, so for him to welcome Ryan into the mix as the primary ballhandler and the point guard has been important. He has accepted a different role — not a lesser role — but a different role, and he has embraced it.”

Trimble, meanwhile, was a steady influence on both ends of the floor throughout the game and finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, including 12 points in the second half and nine in the fourth quarter. The scoring from Cannizzaro and Trimble helped pick up the slack for Middletown South’s other freshman, Evan Wells, who finished with seven points, four rebounds and three blocked shots while dealing with foul trouble throughout the game.

“Trimble has been such a good leader for those young guys,” Iasparro said. “He has the most experience on this team. He started as a sophomore. He really took these guys under his wing over the summer, and he has really helped us gel the old with the new.”

Gannon and Wells are both averaging double-figure points per game as freshmen on a team that graduated only one senior starter from last year’s squad, plus brought in Henry Hudson senior transfer Michael Fitzpatrick (six points on two three-pointers Saturday) and Christian Brothers Academy sophomore transfer Ryan Gannon (yes, he has the same name as his freshman teammate).

Trimble, Cannizzaro and 6-foot-6 senior center Beckett Oliver have retained their starting roles.  Fitzpatrick is breaking into the rotation by coming off the bench, and the seniors have embraced the two talented freshmen jumping into key roles.

“The game seems really slow for Ryan,” Iasparro said. “Both of those guys (Gannon and Wells) are playing a high level of AAU, so when they come to the Shore Conference games, they are just experienced and so composed for 15-year-old kids. And they are super-skilled, and they are great kids who love the process.”

Iasparro has also embraced the challenges that come with making all the pieces fit around two first-year high school players.

“We’re so much more focused on the process than the outcome because of that,” Iasparro said of the challenge of merging a senior group with a freshman duo. “Our goal every game is to play better and gel more. Hopefully, the outcome will be positive as we improve. Trying to work in two freshmen and two transfers with last year’s senior players has been different. It’s a slower process, but every game, we’re gelling a little bit more.”

Rumson entered Saturday along with Wall as one of two remaining undefeated teams left in the Shore Conference, but had to play without two starters and with two more compromised with ailments throughout the game. Seniors Drew Cavise and Luke Cruz did not play, with Cruz — the team’s leading per-game scorer, rebounder and shot-blocker — still recovering from an elbow to the eye he took in Rumson’s win over Holmdel on Thursday.

Meanwhile, second-leading scorer Luke Lydon injured his foot in the first quarter Saturday and attempted to play through it, although he was not used as a stopper on defense after the injury and had to take frequent trips to the bench between hobbled stints on the floor. Lydon finished with eight points, including a pair of three-pointers — all after the injury.

Senior Blake Ahmann also came out of the game in the third quarter after attempting to play through illness. He posted seven points and nine rebounds, and Rumson was still within 10 points when he left the game.

Against an ailing Rumson lineup, Middletown South ballooned its lead as large as 19 points. By the three-minute mark, Rumson coach George Sourlis waved the white flag by removing all five players from the floor in favor of his reserves.

“Staying confident, staying composed: that was the key,” Gannon said. “Rebounding was huge. They are a great rebounding team, so we had to give our all. It wasn’t enough to give 90 percent on defense, we had to give 100 percent, and I think we were able to do that throughout the game.”

Martin earned team MVP honors for his 19 points and nine rebounds, while junior Casey Moore added nine points and seven rebounds for Rumson, which will have to recover as best it can before Monday’s home date with Christian Brothers Academy — currently the No. 1 team in the SSI Top 10 and No. 4 team in the state, according to NJAdvance Media.

Middletown South will also face a tall order in its first game of the new week when the Eagles travel to play Wall on Tuesday. After ending one undefeated start on Saturday, Middletown South will try to end another against a Crimson Knights squad that beat Ranney, 80-63, on Saturday. Ranney defeated Middletown South, 68-52, in a consolation game at the Albert E. Martin Buc Holiday Classic in the final week of December.

“We’re moving in the right direction,” Gannon said. “It’s a great challenge for us to be able to play teams like Rumson and Wall. It’s a great atmosphere. We had a great student section today that helped us. Our team just loves the competition.”

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