Rumson Repeat: RFH defeats Caldwell for second straight NJSIAA Group 2 wrestling state title
PISCATAWAY — The Group 2 state championship match was expected to be more of a coronation than a contest. And while their opponent made them earn it, there was never any doubt which team would come out on top.
Rumson-Fair Haven concluded the greatest season in program history with a second straight NJSIAA Group 2 state championship on Sunday at Rutgers University’s Jersey Mike’s Arena, winning eight of 14 bouts with bonus points in six of them, including Elijah Bayne’s pin in the final bout of a 40-28 victory over Caldwell.
The Chiefs wrestled tough and prevented a runaway Rumson victory, as did the absence of standout senior 215-pounder Conor Delaney, who did not wrestle for unspecified reasons. The forfeit at his weight was at least a 10-point swing and made the match closer than it really felt, but Rumson’s abundant firepower won out in the end. Defending 144-pound state champion Sonny Amato, senior heavyweight Matt Smith, and Bayne (120) won by fall while juniors Joaquin Duque (126) and Luke Dougherty (175) delivered technical falls. Senior Cole Pangborn received a forfeit at 165 and sophomore Mario Del Vecchio (150) and senior Walker Skove (157) won by decision.
Rumson sophomore Sonny Amato, the defending 144-pound NJ state champion, won by fall over Caldwell’s Rocco Conforti during the 2025 NJSIAA Group 2 state final. (Photo credit: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com).
“It means a lot to the community and to the youth program,” Smith said. “We want to keep this legacy going. We’re just the first. We had a couple guys banged up but we knew if we came out here and worked together and everybody did their job we’d get the win.”
“We have a hard-working group of guys in the room training our butts off all the time, and it shows,” Amato said. “There’s a reason we’re two-time state champs and we plan on keeping this streak going.”
“I will say it was a lot closer than I thought it was going to be,” Amato added. “All props to Caldwell and their coaching staff. They’ve been working hard too but it’s the team who wanted it more and we stayed stoic and had grit.”
Smith’s 57-second pin at heavyweight gave Rumson a 34-19 lead with three bouts left, but Caldwell’s Matt Ruane pulled off a defensive pin at 106 pounds to keep the Chiefs alive down by nine with two weights remaining. At 113 pounds, Caldwell drew closer when junior Carmine Sipper scored a 7-4 decision over Rumson junior Eamon Fry in a matchup of returning state qualifiers. Sipper reached the fourth round of wrestlebacks while Fry advanced to the second round of wrestlebacks.
Rumson now led by six points heading into the final bout where Caldwell could have tied the score with a pin. But the Bulldogs had Bayne, a senior returning state qualifier with the right makeup to close out a state championship.
Bayne scored first and took a 3-1 lead into the second period. Caldwell’s Yankee Mabee deferred his choice and Bayne chose the top position. He latched on a half-nelson before working an armbar for the fall at the 2:41 mark, clinching Rumson’s repeat as state champs.
Rumson senior Elijah Bayne clinched the NJSIAA Group 2 state title with a pin at 120 pounds in the final bout. (Photo credit: Tom Smith | tspsportsimages.com).
“The goal going out there was to do my job and get it done as fast as I can,” Bayne said. “I love getting on top and working that bar. I was excited. It was nerve-racking at first but once I stepped on the mat I knew it was go time.”
“He is the guy to have in that spot,” Amato said. “He is very good in those situations, mentally and physically. You saw all that throwing around and him exposing his back a little bit, but that means nothing to him. He stayed mentally focused and showed why he’s one of the better guys on our team.”
After last season’s run that slowly built steam and ended with the program’s first sectional and group state championships, Rumson returned with even higher goals to one-up itself. Wrestling in the Shore Conference’s Class A Division with Group 5 champion Southern Regional, Group 3 runner-up Brick Memorial, and Non-Public A powers Christian Brothers Academy and St. John Vianney, the Bulldogs finished second behind CBA, which was their only loss of the season. They picked up huge program victories over Southern and SJV and will finish the season as the state’s top-ranked public school.
“I liked having the target on our back,” Smith said. “Every match everybody wanted to compete with us and we were wrestling at the top of our game and matching what they were giving us. Going into this we were the No. 1-ranked public school and it feels good to cap that off and let everyone know we’re the real deal.”
“I feel this year we started out with our foot on the gas,” Bayne said. “Our team knew what was coming for us and we wanted to put in the work before anybody else. We treated each other like family and pushed each other to be the best version of ourselves.”
Box Score
Rumson-Fair Haven 40, Caldwell 28
126: Joaquin Duque (RFH) tf. Dom Holler, 17-2
132: Anthony Barrett (C) tf. Henry Marshall, 19-3
138: Solomon Soriente (Caldwell) tf. Andrew Newell, 20-5
144: Sonny Amato (RFH) p. Rocco Conforti, 2:28
150: Mario Del Vecchio (RFH) d. Nicco Capaldo, 9-4
157: Walker Skove (RFH) d. Ben Lattimer, 6-0
165: Cole Pangborn (RFH) by forfeit
175: Andrew Fonseca (C) d. Ryder Izzo, 9-2
190: Luke Dougherty (RFH) tf. Jake Simone, 19-3
215: Michael Mignone (C) by forfeit
Hwt: Matt Smith (RFH) p. Qays Rabah, 0:57
106: Matt Ruane (C) p. Luke Eberhard, 4:48
113: Carmine Sipper (C) d. Eamon Fry, 7-4
120: Elijah Bayne (RFH) p. Yankee Mabee, 2:41
Records: Rumson-Fair Haven (28-1); Caldwell (40-28).
