Boys Lacrosse: New names, same results for red-hot Rumson-Fair Haven
HOLMDEL -- The names on the Rumson-Fair Haven boys lacrosse roster have changed, but the expectations and results have not. Despite graduating some of the program's all-time greats following their latest championship season, the two-time defending state champion Bulldogs haven't missed a beat to start the year.
Senior midfielder Leo Passalaqua scored four goals and assisted on two others, sophomore attackman Luke Lydon scored four times, and senior face-off specialist Luke Marascio controlled the X and added a goal of his own as the Bulldogs stormed past Holmdel, 17-7, in a Shore Conference American Division game on Tuesday afternoon at Bob Roggy Memorial Field.
Senior attackman Alastair Orr added two goals and two assists, senior midfielder Andy Croddick scored twice, and junior midfielder Grayson Goldin had a goal and two assists to lead an offense that overpowered Holmdel in the middle quarters to open a 16-4 lead heading to the final 12 minutes. Junior goalie Mickey Walker made four saves and freshman goalie Seamus Gorman made two saves in his varsity debut. Junior Britt Lumsden and seniors Griffin Kolb and Jake Cahill added one goal apiece.
PHOTO GALLERY
Rumson jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on goals by Lumsden, Orr, and Goldin before Holmdel answered on goals by sophomore attackman Finn Buchan and senior midfielder Will Gilfillan to make it a 3-2 game with 2:26 on the clock. The Bulldogs pushed the lead back to three goals on tallies by Croddick and Lydon in the final 88 seconds of the quarter, and from there they were in complete control.
A five-goal run to begin the second quarter opened a 10-3 halftime lead, and after Gilfillan scored at 7:36 of the third quarter to cut Holmdel's deficit to 10-4, Rumson buried six straight goals - including four in a row by Passalaqua - to put the game away and improve to 5-0.
"The biggest thing for us has been energy and playing hard," Passalaqua said. "We know we have the talent and we know we have the tradition so we're basically just playing hard and trusting ourselves and running our stuff."
PHOTO GALLERY
Among Rumson's losses to graduation off last season's Group 1 state championship squad were dynamic scorer Cole Cashion, standout defensemen Beau Kemler and Luke Jamin, and goalies Will Setteducate and Marshall Halfacre. Cashion had 79 goals and 107 points last season. Kemler and Jamin were two of New Jersey's best defensemen. Setteducate was one of the Shore's top goalies before an injury ended his season after 10 games and Halfacre stepped in to help lead RFH to a state title.
Rumson still has a long way to go to reach its goals, but the early returns have been superb. The Bulldogs are 5-0 with two standout Shore Conference American Division wins over Holmdel and Southern (15-0), a 10-9 overtime victory over St. Augustine in a matchup of top 10 teams in the state, a win over Marin Catholic (11-6), one of the top teams in California, and a 14-3 blowout of a Glen Ridge team that is usually in the mix in the state playoffs.
Cashion accounted for 25% of Rumson's goals last year and so far this season it has been a balanced attack with Lydon and Passalaqua with 15 each and Croddick with 11. Goldin has been an effective playmaker with eight assists and Orr has provided a welcome yet unexpected boost on the attack line. Orr was Rumson's starting running back for a football team that reached the Group 2 state final and decided to restart his lacrosse career after not playing the last three years. He has five goals and four assists in five games.
Marascio was the First Team All-Shore FOGO last season and has picked up right where he left off by winning 71 percent at the X through the first 10 days of the season. Senior poles Brody Page and Troy Monte, junior Frank Argilagos, and sophomore Toby Najenson have led a defense that is allowing just five goals per game, while Walker has a 63% save percentage in the cage.
"I feel like that also speaks to the Rumson tradition," Passalaqua said. "We always have the next-guy-up mentality and we all work hard in practice, which helps us play hard on the field when the next guy gets called up."
"The defensive has been our catalyst through these first (five) games," said Rumson head coach Marc Moreau. "Frank Argilagos, who wasn't here today because he's sick, is really our leader on that end and it kind of showed a little bit. Our offense has shown glimpses and the ability is there. We don't run set plays, it's read and react, and there are guys who graduated last year that were doing it for three years, so they're learning on the fly and definitely getting better. It's certainly not close to where I think it will be at the end of the year. We have the pieces to ultimately get there, it's just how long is it going to take to really get clicking."
PHOTO GALLERY
Beyond the standard box score stats, Rumson is excelling at the minutiae that define championship teams. They were first to most ground balls on Tuesday and their ride was so relentless that Holmdel had stretches during the second and third quarters where it simply could not advance the ball across midfield.
"The last couple years I'd say we were a more settled offense and settled defense team and this year we want to be all three," Moreau said. "We want to be able to play offense and defense in transition, we need to be able to ride and ride well, and when we turn them over we need to be rewarded with goals. We don't do that enough right now but that comes with reps and doing it in game situations."
The Bulldogs' schedule is unrelenting, as well, with games versus CBA, Wall, and Manasquan remaining within the conference along with standout non-conference games against New Canaan (CT), Manhasset (NY), Summit, Bridgewater-Raritan, and Haddonfield. Still, they remain the team to beat in the Shore Conference and the NJSIAA's Group 1.
Rumson's ultimate goal, however, is to be the last team standing on the final day of the season. Despite their back-to-back group state titles, the trophy they truly want is the one handed out to the Kirst Cup champion, which unofficially replaced the Tournament of Champions after the NJSIAA eschewed it following the 2022 season. Rumson fell in the last T.O.C final in 2022 and was defeated by eventual champion Ridgewood in last season's Kirst Cup semifinals.
"We aren't satisfied with where we've been at the end of the past three years I've been here," Passalaqua said. "That has been our goal, to win a (overall) state title, so that's what we're looking for and definitely motivated for."
More From Shore Sports Network
