Rumson’s Record-Setting Streak Hits a Wall as Crimson Knights Advance to Central Jersey Group 2 Final
WALL – Wall had been waiting nearly a year to show how things had changed in the trenches in its matchup against Rumson-Fair Haven.
After losing by 24 points to the Bulldogs in a sectional final last year, the second-seeded Crimson Knights muscled Rumson up front on both sides on Friday night, highlighted by a 22-play drive in the second half that took more than 12 minutes.
Wall then held off the Bulldogs’ late comeback attempt to close out a 17-13 win in the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group 2 semifinals that ended Rumson’s Shore Conference-record streak of 11 straight sectional final appearances dating back to 2013. Rumson was the defending overall Group 2 champion after having reached three straight Group 2 finals, which included beating Wall 38-14 in last year’s Central Jersey Group 2 final.
“After last year, it’s all we wanted was to get back to Rumson,” junior offensive lineman Nick Rogers said. “Now being able to end their streak on top of it, there’s no better feeling.”
“It feels great,” senior TE/DE Justin Davis said. “It feels like Rumson beats us in every sport. We got the job done.”
Wall’s defense swarmed Rumson, holding the Bulldogs to 116 total yards. (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
Wall (8-2), which has won eight straight, will now try to win its first state sectional title since 2019 and the sixth in school history next week when it travels to face top-seeded Camden, which beat Manasquan by 40 points on Friday night.
The Crimson Knights’ defense dominated the majority of the game before Rumson came alive and scored on its last two possessions. Wall held Rumson to zero first downs and minus-four total yards of offense through the first three quarters. The Bulldogs (6-4) were held to only 24 yards rushing on 18 carries and 116 total yards in the loss.
“We were doing a great job of stopping the run,” Wall head coach Ed Gurrieri said.
The Bulldogs scored on a pair of touchdown throws from sophomore quarterback Brady Williams to junior wide receiver Cole Spoonire and senior tight end Jack Gyimesi to cut it to 17-13 before Wall blocked the extra point after the second score. Rumson had burned all its timeouts on Wall’s previous possession, so the Crimson Knights were able to seal the win when senior Brian McKenna, the team’s quarterback, recovered the ensuing onside kick with 2:13 remaining.
Wall Dominates the First Half
The Crimson Knights set a physical tone early when they embarked on a 10-play, 66-yard drive on their second possession of the game. They chipped away at the Rumson defense with senior running back Dylan Cohen, who finished with 92 yards in the win.
He ran for 36 yards on seven carries on the drive, capping it with a four-yard run to make it 7-0 with 2:39 left in the first quarter.
“The offensive line came alive,” Gurrieri said. “They’ve been getting better and better each week. In the last four and five games, they’ve just made leaps and bounds, and the running backs did a great job of getting yards after contact all night.”
Wall senior running back Dylan Cohen ran for 92 yards and a touchdown in the win. (Photo by Patrick Olivero)
“We wanted to be dominant, strike first, be stronger, and I’d say we did that,” Rogers said. “We know what our running backs are capable of doing.”
Rumson’s offense only ran 14 total plays in the first half and did not have a first down, finishing with minus-6 total yards at the break.
The Wall offense pushed the lead to 14-0 at the half with a nine-play, 49-yard drive that culminated with a clutch throw by McKenna. He found senior wide receiver Maddox Mizelle streaking across the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown on fourth-and-9 with 2:38 left in the half.
“I saw Maddox run a great post corner and break open, so I just put it on him,” McKenna said.
“I knew (the Rumson defender) was done before I even ran the route, just the way he was lined up,” Mizelle said.
Wall Chews Up the Clock
After the Wall defense forced a three-and-out to start the second half, the offense went on a game-defining drive.
Rumson senior punter Drew Cavise pinned them at their own 1-yard line, but they drove to the Bulldogs’ 14-yard line with a monster, 22-play drive that took more than a quarter’s worth of time off the clock. They drained the final 9:52 of the third quarter and then the first 2:50 of the fourth quarter to take a 17-0 lead on a 32-yard field goal by senior Heath Reinhardt with 9:10 left in the game.
“I think that (drive) really killed them,” McKenna said about the Rumson defense. “Hands on their knees, hands on their hips – they were done.”
Wall’s Maddox Mizelle had a 23-yard touchdown catch on fourth down to help build a 14-0 halftime lead. (Photo by Patrick Olivero).
A crucial play came when a scrambling McKenna found Davis for a 21-yard gain on third-and-10 from Wall’s 11-yard line to keep the drive going.
“I didn’t even know the ball was coming to me,” Davis said. “I just went up and got it.”
“I didn’t even see him make the catch, but I knew he would come down with it,” McKenna said. “I have a lot of trust in him. He’s one of the best tight ends in the Shore.”
Rumson Rallies
Rumson finally came alive by running an up-tempo passing attack in the final quarter and taking the underneath routes that Wall was conceding in order to make the Bulldogs burn the clock in order to score. The Crimson Knights did not want Rumson to throw the ball over their heads for a quick touchdown, so they forced Williams to have to hit short throws to get down the field.
The Bulldogs drove 83 yards in 14 plays, scoring on a five-yard touchdown pass from Williams to Spoonire to trim the lead to 17-7 with 5:36 left in the game. After burning their timeouts and forcing a punt, Rumson got it back and went 63 yards in nine plays, scoring on a 5-yard throwback pass from Williams to Gyimesi before McKenna’s recovery of the onside kick sealed the win for Wall.
It ended a remarkable streak for Rumson, and it was only fitting that Wall was the team to do it. The Crimson Knights were the last Shore Conference team to beat Rumson in the state playoffs back in 2019 until Friday night.
“One hundred percent, Wall is back,” Davis said.
Box Score
Wall 17, Rumson-FH 13
| W | R | |
| First downs | 14 | 9 |
| Rushes-yards | 42-168 | 18-24 |
| Passing | 9-14-1 | 13-20-0 |
| Passing yards | 60 | 92 |
| Fumbles-lost | 0-0 | 3-1 |
| Penalties-yards | 7-49 | 3-23 |
| Rumson-FH (6-4) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 13 |
| Wall (7-2) | 7 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 17 |
Scoring Summary
W: Cohen 4-yard run (Reinhardt kick).
W: Mizelle 23-yard pass from McKenna (Reinhardt kick).
W: Reinhardt 32-yard field goal.
R: Spoonire 5-yard pass from Williams (Cavise kick).
R: Gyimesi 5-yard pass from Williams (kick blocked).
Individual Statistics
RUSHING — W: Cohen 20-92, Reinhardt 1-4, Boulard 14-44, Scaramellino 1-17, McKenna 6-11. R: Murray 8-32, Williams 9-3, Moore 1-(-11).
PASSING — W: McKenna 9-14-1 60. R: Williams 13-20-0 92.
RECEIVING — W: Reinhardt 5-19, Cohen 1-(-5), Boulard 1-2, Mizelle 1-23, Davis 1-21. R: Murray 1-7, Spoonire 5-38, Gyimesi 5-36, McDonald 1-5, Tucker 1-6.
INTERCEPTIONS — R: Florio 1-2.
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
