Shore Sports Networks 2016 Striking Out Autism Tournament

A p r i l 1 9 , 2 0 1 6 V o l u m e - V I I I I s s u e - 8

VOLUME -V I I I / I S SUE -8 / 4 / 1 9 / 1 62

The first thing fans, players, coaches and parents want toknow after the big game is always,

Shore Sports Network Website Features

S t e v e M E Y E RShore Sports NetworkDirector High School Divisionsteve.meye r@townsquaremedia .com7 3 2 - 2 3 3 - 4 4 6 0

K e v i n W I L L I A M SShore Sports Network Directorkev in .wi l l i ams@townsquaremedia .com

Sen ior Content Prov idersBobBadders // [email protected] // [email protected]

Shore Sports Network Journalis published by: T ow nsq u ar e M e d ia8 Robbins Street Toms River, NJ 08753

Copyright 2016 Townsquare MediaAll rights reserved Reproduction in whole or inpart without the permission of Shore SportsNetwork is prohibited

”Is this going to be on ”






Shore Sports Network has established itself as a leader in scholasticsports coverage in Monmouth and Ocean counties, providing morevideo highlight clips, in-depth reporting, feature stories and regularupdates than ANY OTHER OUTLET in the area.




nof all the important games that Shore Conference fans will be talking about.

n Catch up on the action you might have missedn Watch video clips of everything from the

action early in the event to the big finish as well as video interviews with various athletes.

n www.shoresportsnetwork.com is the most visited sports site in the Shore Conference during the scholastic year

n Follow us on Twitter (over 18,000 followers) & Facebook, we keep fans posted on the latest scores and news

n Established leading portal for local high school coverage.

GET VIDEO HIGHLIGHTSGET VIDEO HIGHLIGHTSGET VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

We're nearly halfway through the regular season andboth the weather and the action are starting to heat uparound the Shore Conference.There have already been some big games between powerhouse teams as well as some upsets that I'm still trying to wrap my head around.

The top five remain unchanged from our preseason rankings, but after that everything has been thrown into a blender. Teams have takenturns knocking each other off at a crazy rate, and if this is an indication of what to expect when the Shore Conference Tournament rollsaround it's time to batten down the hatches.

1. RUMSON-FAIR HAVEN (5-1)The Bulldogs stumbled out of the gates with a 7-6 loss to Caldwell, but immediately

rebounded with a 9-5 win over South Jersey Group III champion Shawnee. That started astring of five straight victories with wins over Allentown, St. John Vianney, ChristianBrothers Academy and Shore. Through six games, senior attackman Robbie Garavente andjunior midfielder Bryan Hess each have a team-high 13 goals with Garavente also leadingin assists (9) and points (22). Senior Ian Clarke and junior Emmett Jennings have led adefense that has yielded just 4.2 goals per game in front of senior goalie Kyle Knapp.Senior Butch Clarke has won 63 percent of face-offs and has a team-high 30 ground balls.The Bulldogs have four straight home games upcoming, including tough nonconferencebattles with St. Augustine Prep and Bergen Catholic.

2. Manasquan (7-1) The Warriors suffered their first loss of the season in

falling 11-6 to Moorestown, the No. 5 team in NewJersey, but up to that point had dominated every teamon their schedule. Manasquan opened the seasonwith a 16-5 win over Freehold Township beforeposting wins over Colts Neck, Red Bank and RedBank Catholic. After a 12-5 road win over headcoach Sean Cunningham's alma mater, ChristianBrothers Academy, the Warriors defeated TomsRiver South and Jackson Liberty to start 7-0 beforelosing to the Quakers. Junior attackman JarrettBirch has been on fire to start the season with 26goals and 13 assists in his first eight games. Hisyounger brother, freshman attackman CanyonBirch, has been dynamite as well with 29 goals andnine assists. Manasquan already has five double-digit goal scorers while leading assist man JoeTonkovich has dealt out 18 helpers. Junior face-off midfielder Matt Thermann has beenunbelievable in winning 75 percent of drawswhile picking up a Shore Conference-best 87ground balls. Manasquan has anothermonster nonconference game againstSummit on Wednesday before getting intothe teeth of its Class B South schedule.

3. Southern (6-0)The Rams haven't missed a beat so far after graduating a historic senior class, earning

wins over Oakcrest, Holmdel, Jackson Liberty, Toms River South, Jackson Memorial andToms River East. A much-anticipated clash with Rumson-Fair Haven was postponed, anda make-up date, if there will even be one, has not been determined. Junior Will Johnsonhas a team-high 19 goals through six games while senior Nick Simonelli leads in pointswith 12 goals and 13 assists. Junior Kyle Mulrane has 14 goals and nine assists, and seniorJames Manzo also has double-digit points with eight goals and seven assists. This comingweek the Rams take on Lacey as they try to take another step toward their third straightdivision title.

4. CBA (4-3)The Colts may have three losses, but it's hard to

penalize them too much when the combinedrecords of the teams that beat them is 20-3.CBA has a loss to St. Joseph (Metuchen) aswell defeats against Rumson and Manasquan,the top two teams in the SSN Top 10. Theyare on a three-game winning streak sincelosing 10-3 to Rumson, however, withwins over Peddie, Howell andMiddletown North. A large slate ofgames awaits this week withcontests versus Colts Neck, Don

Bosco Prep, Marlboroand Neptune.

2016 Boys Lacrosse Mid-Season Top 10By Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer

3SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM

See TOP TEN page 4Manasquan’s Jarrett Birch CBA’s John Salcedo

FOR SSN ADVERTISING INFORMATIONContact : S teven Meyer 732-233-4460 steve.meyer@townsquaremedia .com

5. Ocean (7-0) The Spartans have yet to be challenged in storming

out to a 7-0 record, but the toughest part of their scheduleis still to come. Ocean has wins over Neptune, MiddletownSouth, Barnegat, Ranney, Holmdel, Middletown North and LongBranch so far, but just one of those teams (Middletown South)has a winning record. They play Red Bank on Tuesday to kick offa string of five straight Class B North games. Also this week theyhost St. John Vianney and travel to Shore Regional. Seniors ErikRant and Joey Appio were two of the top scorers in the ShoreConference last season and have picked right up with a combined 96points already. Rant has a conference-high 35 goals to go along with 16assists while Appio, who led the Shore in assists last season, has 28setups plus 17 goals. Junior Sam Hanna (18g, 18a) and senior ConnorDaly (18g, 10a) have also gotten off to strong starts. Junior goalie DavidWalk has stopped 80 percent of shots on goal.

6. Brick Memorial (7-0) The Mustangs are off to their best start in program history and best

opening to a season since starting 6-1 in 2012. Their top win so far is a 10-9 overtime victory over Wall. Brick Memorial also has wins over NorthBrunswick, Marlboro, Toms River East, St. Rose, Brick and JacksonMemorial. The schedule takes a tougher turn this week with a crucial ClassA South game against Toms River North, plus matchups with Toms RiverSouth and Lacey. Balanced scoring has fueled the Mustangs as they havesix players with 10 or more points and four with at least 10 goals. Senior Billy Porter leads theway with 24 goals and 11 assists. Junior Gavin Murphy has 19 goals and 13 assists and juniorHenry Moran leads the team in assists with 18 to go along with seven goals.

7. Wall (6-1)The Crimson Knights' only loss came in overtime to Brick Memorial, and they own

lopsided victories over Red Bank and Jackson Liberty among their six wins. Wall has alsodefeated Marlboro, Neptune, Point Boro and Brick. Senior Mike Steppe and sophomoreMichael McIntyre have led the way on offense with a combined 81 points. Steppe has 23goals and a team-high 24 assists while McIntyre leads the team in goals with 27 and hasadded seven assists. Tim O'Hern is third with 11 goals and 16 assists for 27 points. Seniorgoalie Zach Harrell has stopped 82 shots. A big week is in store for Wall with gamesagainst St. Rose, No. 2 Manasquan, St. John Vianney and Donovan Catholic.

8. Howell (5-3)I debated over which team to put in this spot for a good 30 minutes. There are triangles

with nearly every team that could realistically stake a claim to one of the three remainingspots in the top 10. The amount of "Team A beat Team B but lost to Team C" and so on

scenarios are already ridiculous, so I'm going with the hot hand. Howell picked upa big win in downing previously unbeaten Toms River North, 11-5, on Monday.Junior attackman Drew Bukowiec (20g, 12a), senior midfielder Nic Rossi (12g, 13a)and junior attackman Ryan Damielo (18g, 3a) have led the way for a team that haswon five of its last six since starting 0-2. The only loss in that span was to No. 4CBA. Howell will look to keep rolling with games against Neptune and MiddletownSouth this week.

9. Toms RiveR North (5-1) The Mariners were unbeaten until falling to Howell, 11-5, but have a chance to getsome momentum right back. They take on No. 6 Brick Memorial in a key Class ASouth game this week as they try to jump the Mustangs and keep pace with No. 3Southern in the division race. The Mariners will also face Brick this week.

10. Freehold Twp (3-3) As tempting as it was to do a top nine this week (kidding), I had to pick one team

to go here. Freehold Township did just lose, 11-8, to rival Colts Neck, but I believethey have the best body of work with wins over Shore and Red Bank Catholic.The other options were St. John Vianney, which just lost to Holmdel, 4-2, a Red

Bank Catholic team the Patriots just beat or Red Bank, which just beat RBCbut lost to St. John Vianney. The Pats get the nod this week, but are

on a short leash. They will be heavily favored in games against Marlboroand Neptune this week, but a game against Red Bank on April 25 will help clear what hasbecome a very murky picture in the bottom half of the rankings.

Teams to watch:Shore (4-3): Albany-bound senior midfielder Doug Goldsmith has been a force for a Blue Devilssquad that is on the cusp of the top 10. Two of their three losses have come in overtime to Toms RiverNorth and Freehold Township, while the other is to No. 1 Rumson. They still need a marquee win, butwill get the chance with some important Class B North games on the horizon.

Red Bank (4-4): The Bucs picked up a big win, 14-7 over rival Red Bank Catholic as senior ColeSmolokoff went off for eight goals. With offensive standouts Brian Fagan and Ryan Gilmartin, plus oneof the Shore's best goalies in senior Jon Pierce, the Bucs are dangerous.

Top TenContinued from page 3


Ocean’s David Walk

SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM 5


Pain in or around the kneecapis common in younger and middle-aged athletes, especially inrunners.

Pain in front of the knee can come from the kneecapitself, tendons, bursae (fluid-filled sacs) or the softtissues within the knee. Kneecap pain almost neverresults from a specific injury; instead it creeps upover time until it finally prevents you from doingwhat you want to do.

Kneecap pain often presents with tell-tallsigns. Pain while descending stairs is oftenpresent, more so than while going up stairs.Many patients also have pain while sittingwith their knee bent for a long time, suchas on a plane or at a movie.

The good news is, this condition rarelyrequires surgery and can be treated at home.I recommend a 5-part approach that worksfor most patients.

1) Quadriceps strength. Make sure your quads on both sides are toned and welldeveloped as these muscles control the kneecap

2) Hip abductor and external rotator strength. These are the muscles that move your hipout to the side. Keeping them strong helps to keep your whole leg in alignment.

3) Hamstring flexibility. Flexible hamstrings reduce pressure on the kneecap and lessenthe amount your quads have to work.

4) Address flat feet. Flat feet can contribute to bad alignment so wear orthotics if youneed them.

5) Cross train. Especially if you do a sport that involves movement in a single direction(running, cycling). Cross training will help balance your muscles and preventinjuries.

Five-Step program to manage KneeCapPain without having surgeryBy Dr. S a l e h – P ro f e s s i o n a l O r t h opa ed i c A s s o c i a t e s

Dr. SalehFellowship-Trained Orthopaedic SurgeonBoard Eligible: American Board of Orthopaedic SurgeryAreas of special interest: Shoulder and Knee Surgery,Arthroscopic and Reconstructive Surgery of the Shoulder,Sports MedicineUndergrad Degree: Rutgers University, 2002Medical Degree: The Mount Sinai School of Medicine, 2008Residency: The Mount Sinai Medical Center, 2008-2013Fellowship: Stanford University, 2013-2015Honors and Awards: Awarded Chief Resident in orthopaedicsurgery 2012-2013, Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Society,Outstanding Educator Award 2008, Gold Humanism inMedicine Honor Society 2008


ERRY FRULIO WAS A FIRST-TEAM ALL-SHORE PLAYER AT

CENTRAL REGIONAL, PLAYEDAT GEORGE MASON AND HAD

SUCCESSFUL STINTS AS HEADCOACH AT BOTH HIS ALMAMATER AND ST. ROSE, BUT THOSEACCOMPLISHMENTS MAY HAVEBEEN BUMPED DOWN ON HIS RESUMEAFTER HIS SUCCESSFUL FORAY INTOFUNDRAISING.

“Bob Rutter, my old coach, told me that out of everything I did as a player –first-team All-Shore, team MVP, going on to have a good career at GeorgeMason, then going on to coach – this is the best thing I’ve done in my baseballlife,” Frulio said.

April 16th was the fourth annual Strike Out Autism fundraiser featuring 42teams in 21 games spanning nearly 12 hours and more than 40 miles – whichall told will have raised close to and possibly exceeding $20,000 based onearly estimates, according to Frulio.

“It’s sometimes hard to wrap my head around how big this has become,”Frulio said. “When you see the effort and enthusiasm the coaches and theplayers put in, it’s no wonder it works. But it’s still really gratifying andencouraging to see what it’s become.”

The event expanded dramatically last year and was again a success inraising awareness for a neurological disorder that affects children inNew Jersey. at a higher rate than any other state in the country. Theproceeds raised on Saturday and leading up to the event will godirectly toward the special needs programs and autism classes atthe participating schools.

“As great as it was to give the money to anorganization like Autism Speaks, I thinkit’s even better to be able to raise themoney and immediately put it to use atschools in the Shore Conference,”Frulio said. “Autism Speaks is agiant that raises millions of dollarsfor research and lobbies forfederal funding and that’s great,

8 VOLUME -V I I I / I S SUE -8 / 4 / 1 9 / 1 6

Manchester’s Jay Laird Howell’s J

By Ma t t Man l e y – S en i o r S t a f f Wr i t e r

9

butyou don’t always see how that money isbeing put to use. To be able to walk intoone of these schools and see the kidsusing the iPads youbought them, you can seethe impact.”On the field, the event featured some

noteworthy games, some dramaticfinishes and a handful of upsets. PointPleasant Borough and Jackson Libertystarted the morning off with dramaticwins – Point Boro by beatingManalapan 5-4 on a game-winningsingle by senior Mike Faclonetti inthe bottom of the seventh inning andJackson Liberty by handingcrosstown rival Jackson Memorial itsfirst loss of the season, 6-3.

Point Boro’s win kept the Panthersunbeaten on the season, as did PointPleasant Beach’s 6-5 win overLakewood. The final two unbeatenteams in the Shore Conference thisseason are from the same town andthat town is not Toms River,Middletown or Brick, but rather

Point Pleasant thanks to the surging programs.

The day ended with Barnegat toppling previously unbeaten Red BankCatholic, the No. 2 team in the Shore Sports Network Top 10 and a top

10 team in the state heading into the game. That game was set to bethe main attraction of the entire benefit, with top MLB draftprospect Jason Groome slated to pitch for Barnegat in front of ananticipated crowd of more than 3,000 people – includinghundreds of Major League personnel.

Groome, however, was ruled ineligible by the NJSIAA onThursday and will sit likely for the remainder of the month. Still,

the Bengals made Saturday a memorable night on the field withtheir 4-3 win, as well as a noteworthy one off of it. Winning pitcher

Jared Kacso – who also had the winning RBI double – also beat St. JohnVianney as a sophomore at the 2014 benefit. The Lancers went on tofinish No. 1 in the state that year.

At Frulio’s alma mater, Central Regional, the host Golden Eaglesdefeated Mater Dei Prep 11-1 and Lacey topped Freehold Township,

12-4. The Central Regional site is best characterized by its carnival feel,thanks to an actual it's carnival set-up at nearby Veterans Park.

Ken Frank Stadium at Toms River South hosted the event’s only triple-header,which featured all four Toms River high schools – South, North, East andDonovan Catholic. Toms River East dropped the opening game toWilliamstown, 5-0, and Toms River South closed out the evening with a 5-4

See Str ik in g O ut page 10

( far lef t ) Howel l coach Eric Johnson, J immy Barnes, Jay Laird andManchester coach David Beauchemin

SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM immy Barnes

win over Donovan Catholic.

In the headline game, Christian Brothers Academy – the top team in both theShore Conference and the state – edged Toms River North, 7-6, in the secondgame of the triple-header.

Toms River South was the original host site in 2013, when the Indians playedRed Bank Regional and Central played St. John Vianney.

“To have support from someone like (Toms RiverSouth coach and all-time state wins leader) KennyFrank has meant a lot,” Frulio said. “He and theSouth program have been on board from the verybeginning and it just showswhy that program hasbeen what it’s been. He'sa baseball guy, but he'salso big into thecommunity.”Wall High School jumped on

board the following year and theCrimson Knights moved theirfestivities to the Wall MunicipalComplex. Pinelands freshmanJoey Ventresca shined in the firstgame by striking out 12 on the mound as theWildcats beat Rumson-Fair Haven, 11-4. Wallfollowed up by edging Manasquan in thenightcap, 2-1, with Matt Yard outdueling JackSheehan on the mound. By the end of the day, thechange in venue netted more than $2,300 indonations, according to Wall coach ToddSchmitt.

Long Branch senior Carlos Pachecomade a memory for himself by throwinga no-hitter in a 10-0 Green Wave winover Asbury Park in the second gameat Raritan High School. In the firstgame, Holmdel beat the hostRockets, 4-0, in a Class ACentral divisional

game and wenton the road and upset

Manalapan in the openinground of the Monmouth County

Tournament later in the day.

The Jackson Liberty site not only saw JacksonLiberty hand Jackson Memorial its first loss, but also

featured Brick taking down previously-unbeaten St. Rose. In Red Bank,Brick Memorial needed extra innings to get past Red Bank Regional – aworthy warm-up act for Barnegat’s upset later in the night at Count BasiePark.

Ocean Township High School was also the site of two competitive games.Matawan outlasted Shore Regional, 5-3, in nine innings and the host Spartansbeat Freehold Boro, 3-2. That Ocean win followed up last year’s drama, inwhich Anthony Bartolomei hit a walk-off home run to beat that sameFreehold team.

Howell held off a challenge from Manchester to win, 5-3, at its home field,followed by Middletown South topping Southern, 9-2.

“Out of all the Freehold Regional schools, Howell is the site for autism andworking with those kids,” Frulio said. “The kids at Howell really get

behind causes like this. I was giving every team wristbands to sellin school and right away, (Howell coach) Eric Johnson told me,‘Give me two more bags.’”

At St. John Vianney, Middletown North won its third straightgame after a 0-4 start by blanking Colts Neck, 2-0 – which was the

Cougars’ third loss in four games after a 4-0 start. The Lancersopened the double-header opened the double-header by

beating Class A Central rival Monmouth Regional, 8-4.

Central also hosted a softball double-header,with the Golden Eagles playing Mater Dei andFreehold Township taking on Lacey. As thebenefit has expanded to nearly the entireShore Conference when it comes to baseball,incorporating more softball teams is likely thenext frontier for Frulio.

“That’s the hope,” Frulio said.“There are some logistical challenges as far as

matching everybody up because I never want toexpose a team by matching them up against

somebody they have no chance to competewith. At the same time, there is a lot of

interest and I think it could reallytake things to the next level. I’mnot even sure what I’d do if wewere able to double the moneywe’ve raised, but it would begreat to have to figure it out.”

Str ik in g O ut Continued from page 9

Howell’s Donovan O’Malley

P h o t o s b y :Eric Braun:

ericbraunphotography.smugmug.com


SHORESPORTSNETWORK.COM 1 1


Plenty went wrong for Rumson in 2015.And then, just like that, everything went right.

An up-and-down regular season followed by a loss to Southern in the Shore ConferenceTournament wasn't exactly a solid foundation for a state championship run, yet the talented butinexperienced Bulldogs found a way to put it all together at the best time of the year to makehistory.

Rumson forged a groundbreaking postseason that culminated in a 9-8 overtime victory overMountain Lakes to win the NJSIAA Group I title, the program's first and the first for any ShoreConference team. With nearly the entire starting lineup plus several key reserves returning, Rumsonis looking to claim another state championship and push deeper into the Tournament of Championsin 2016.

"We come in with a lot of the same expectations we've had since I've been here as a freshman,"said senior attackman Robbie Garavente. ”Our major goals have always been winning the ShoreConference Tournament and a state championship, and after winning a state title and making theT.O.C. last year we know what we're capable of when we play our best. We don't want to movebackward, we want to continue to move forward."

Head coach Andy Eastwood noted Rumson's breakthrough last season "wasn't the flip of a lightswitch.” The Bulldogs had been knocking on the door for years. They had won four straight SCTtitles going into last season and have reached the final in six straight years. To say they've been theclass of the Shore Conference would be putting it mildly. In 2013 Rumson won its first statesectional title before falling to Mountain Lakes, 8-6, in the Group I title game. In 2014, Rumsonreached the South Jersey Group I final.

To a man, Rumson's players and coaches attribute their late-season success last year to an all-encompassing belief that

did not exist prior to the statetournament. An 0-4 start had themdoubting their abilities, and a lossto Southern in the SCT final hadthem thinking maybe it just

wasn't their year.

"At the end ofthe season when welost to Southern in the SCTfinal it felt like the season wasover," said senior defenseman IanClarke. "But after Holmdel (a 7-1 win toclinch the Class B North division title) wethought about it and we knew we had a chance.We had the talent, we just had to play as one andcome together, and we did that to win a state title.”

"I believed in them, but whether or not theybelieved in each other at that point I'm not sure,"Eastwood said. "But by the end they believed,and they knew they had the ability to accomplishsomething great.”

After Surprising Run to Group I Title,Rumson-Fair Haven Ready for MoreBy Bob Badders – Senior Staff Writer

Senior defenseman Ian Clarke

See RUMSON page 14



by:

Bob Badderswww.shoresportsnetwork.com

Winning a state title and doing it against a powerhouse program such asMountain Lakes changed everything for Rumson from a confidencestandpoint. In the past the Bulldogs knew they had the talent and thoughtthey could win a state championship. Now they know they can do it. Theultimate irony is that Rumson's 2015 squad wasn't being billed as ajuggernaut during the preseason.

"It was supposed to be a rebuilding year after losing 18 seniors,"Garavente said. "No one expected us to get to where we did. We playedin the state tournament like we had nothing to lose.”

Having little to no experience last season and having to start manyjuniors and sophomores means Rumson now comes into the 2016 seasonwith a veteran, battle-hardened group in all areas. The entire startingattack line returns with Garavente and seniors Griffin Schultz and HenrySillen. Junior Charlie Curran, who scored the game-winning goal inovertime in the Group I state final, is also back as the first reserve. Addin junior Colin Pavluk and sophomore Wyatt Feinberg and Rumson hasvery good depth up front.

"I've been playing with Henry and Griff' ever since fifth grade, andwe've continued to improve as players together," Garavente said. "It'sbeen an amazing ride with those guys. They're two of my best friends onand off the field and it means the world to play with them for our lastyear together.”

Rumson has balanced scoring, but Garavente, the reigning Class B North Player of theYear and a Shore Sports Network first-team All-Shore selection, is the kind of playerwho can take over a game.

"I believe we have several kids that have that same capability right now, but Robbie,yes, when he is on his 'A' game he's as good as there is," Eastwood said. "He's one ofthe best attackmen in New Jersey.”

Juniors Bryan Hess and Matt Waters lead the group of midfielders with fellow juniorRyan Tuorto and senior ground-ball aceLachlan Hull. Senior Butch Clark is the face-off specialist. Junior Alex Werner will getsome minutes, as well.

Rumson graduated first-team All-Shoredefenseman Cooper Cuje, but returns anexcellent group in front of returning goaliesKyle Knapp and Conor Deverin. Clarke andjunior Emmett Jennings anchor a group thatalso features junior Dan Maloney, sophomoreStephen Edler and freshman Tommy Bavuso.

"From a defensive standpoint ourcommunication has gotten a lot better and oursliding recently is the best I've seen," Clarkesaid. "On offense they've been able to movethe ball very quickly and not force it. We'replaying like a team that's already played eightgames.”

Clark is the cornerstone of the defense anda vocal leader on the field, checking two veryimportant boxes for a team that wants tocompete for championships.

"Ian brings the intangibles," Eastwood said."He's the quarterback back there. He is doinga lot of the communicating and he's a seniorleader. As much as it's all about

communicating, some guys on defense don't like to talk as much. Ian is always apositive, vocal leader getting guys in position and calling out plays. He's an excellentdefender.”

Rumson's schedule is loaded once again, but the Bulldogs wouldn't have it any otherway. They know a big reason for their state championship last season was playingagainst some of the best in New Jersey during the first four weeks of the season.Nonconference opponents this year include defending T.O.C. champion Bridgewater-Raritan, St. Augustine, Bergen Catholic and St. Peter's Prep. They also have a Shore

Conference nondivisional game against Southern, and already owna win over Christian Brothers Academy. They dropped their firstgame of the season to Caldwell, 7-6, but rebounded with a 9-5 winover defending South Jersey Group III champion Shawnee.

Rumson will be a team focused squarely on whichever opponentis next, but the Bulldogs still have an eye on their main goals. Thefirst of which is to win another division title, followed by takingback the SCT title. Then it's on to the state tournament where theywill be up in Group II. They know they are among the best teamsin New Jersey, but also realize nothing is guaranteed. They won'tsneak up on any team this season, and they’re not trying to.

"Going into the SCT last year we didn't have experience in biggames," Garavente said. "It was a learning point for all of us. Nowhaving those games under our belt, we know we have what it takesto accomplish great things."

Senior at tackman Robbie Garavente

Junior midf ie lder Bryan Hess

Photos:M a r k B r o w n

b 5 1 p h o t o g r a p h y . c o m

Rumson Continued from page 13



Documents

Shore Sports Networks 2016 Striking Out Autism Tournament