O’Toole airs it out to lead No. 5 Rumson-Fair Haven over No. 3 Middletown South

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MIDDLETOWN – After bursting onto the scene to lead the Shore Conference in passing as a sophomore, Rumson-Fair Haven’s Owen O’Toole entered this season as one of the top quarterbacks in New Jersey. In the 2023 season opener, he picked up right where he left off.

O’Toole completed 19 of 27 passes for 233 yards and a touchdown, showcasing his arm strength, vision, and accuracy as the Bulldogs, ranked No. 5 in the Shore Sports Network Preseason Shore 16, pulled away in the second half for a 24-6 Shore Conference American Division victory over No. 3 Middletown South on Friday night at The Swamp.

O’Toole tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Nick Rigby in the second quarter, ran for a 1-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak in the fourth quarter, and spread the ball to five different receivers to give Rumson its first win at Middletown South in program history, according to head coach Jeremy Schulte.

“He has great presence,” Schulte said. “He’s the first junior captain we’ve had since I’ve been at RFH and there’s a reason for that.”

Rigby, last season’s Shore Conference leader in receptions and yards and a returning First Team All-Shore selection, was bracketed most of the game with double and sometimes triple coverage. That opened the door for the rest of Rumson’s wide receivers to make an impact, and junior Nick Thomas took full advantage by catching seven passes for 110 yards. The ground game churned out 107 yards (not accounting for sacks), doing enough to give the offense balance and keep the Middletown South defense honest. Senior Alastair Orr ran for a team-high 57 yards and senior Griffin Kolb added 42 yards rushing.

Middletown South and Rumson have played each other every season since 2016 and have mostly alternated wins and losses. Last season it was the Eagles going into Borden Stadium and taking a 27-21 victory from the Bulldogs, a game that stuck with Rumson’s players throughout the offseason.

“They came into our house last year and ran the ball down our throats,” said senior defensive lineman Cooper Bunnell. “All year we were in the weight room and we got way better. We knew we were the better team today.”

“These guys beat us up last year, no ifs, ands, or buts about it,” Schulte said. “That was our rallying cry all week; how are we going to respond this year? They worked hard all offseason to make sure it didn’t happen again.”

Middletown South’s points came via an 11-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Jackson Harris to senior wideout Owen Richter in the second quarter. Harris was in the game due to the absence of standout senior Jake Czwakiel. A returning First Team All-Shore selection, Czwakiel broke off a 45-yard run in the first quarter but came up limping and did not return. His absence created a huge void for the Eagles as he is also an excellent defensive back and the team’s kicker and punter.

While the Eagles were without their quarterback, Rumson’s signal caller only got better as the game progressed. He hit passes on short, intermediate, and long routes while changing arm angles and hitting throws on the run and under pressure. Two of his throws stood out above the rest, one where he took a big hit from a Middletown South rusher but was still able to deliver a perfect pass to Thomas on a post corner for a 30-yard gain. He later hit Thomas in stride for a 48-yard gain down the sideline that set up a touchdown.

“I’m not surprised he played that well but thinking he’s going to do it and it actually happening are two different things,” Schulte said. “I call him an old man all the time because of the way he acts and how he approaches everything. He does it the right way, and having a kid like that is special.”

With Rigby getting extra attention, Thomas took full advantage to introduce himself to the rest of the Shore Conference. He had four receptions in the first half before catches of 30, 6, and 48 yards put him over the 100-yard mark for the first time in his career.

“He’s in my grade, my freshman connection,” O’Toole said.  “He finally got out here and made his point. He brings speed and quickness and he’s (shifty). If you leave him one-on-one I’ll take him every day.”

“We saw what he had last year, he was just young,” Schulte said. “Now he’s mature, he runs good routes, and he’s reliable. Now people have to look out for him, too.”

Rumson had a promising drive to begin the game, marching from its own 23-yard line to the Middletown South 9-yard line across 10 plays. But on second down, reigning Shore Sports Network Defensive Player of the Year Colin Gallagher sacked O’Toole for a 17-yard loss. Rumson went for it on 4^th-and-13 from the 22 but Czwakiel knocked down the pass in the end zone for a turnover on downs.

On the second play after Middletown South took possession, Czwakiel broke a tackle in the second level and raced 45 yards to the Rumson 30-yard line. He came up limping, however, and exited the game for good. The Eagles were still able to push toward the end zone on runs by Summey and Gallagher, but a holding penalty wiped out a 3-yard touchdown run by Gallagher and the Eagles missed a 30-yard field goal two downs later.

Rumson then embarked on its first scoring drive of the day that ended with O’Toole firing an 11-yard strike to Rigby to cap a 12-play, 80-yard drive. O’Toole was 7-for-7 for 60 yards on the drive.

The teams traded punts over the next two possessions before Middletown South got on the board. Starting from midfield, the Eagles moved inside Rumson’s 20-yard line on a 24-yard run by Gallagher. Two plays later, Harris threw a jump ball to the back-right corner of the end zone and Richter leaped above a Rumson defender to haul in the 11-yard touchdown. The extra point attempt was unsuccessful, though, leaving Rumson on top, 7-6.

Rumson pushed the ball down the field late in the first half but time ran out just as Jordan Angstreich caught a 24-yard pass at the Middletown South 8-yard line.

“We know they’re one hell of a team and there would be ups and downs tonight,” O’Toole said. “We came into the locker room with the lead but they had the momentum. We had to come out in the second half and shut them down.”

Rumson did just that over the final two quarters, outscoring Middletown South 17-0 to post an impressive victory to open the season.

“I saw him beat the defender off the line – he had a post corner – so I knew if he made one guy miss he would be open,” O’Toole said of his completion to Thomas. “I had to take a shot.”

The tandem of Summey and Gallagher picked up a first down for Middletown South on its next series but another miscue on a handoff resulted in a 16-yard loss and short-circuited the drive. After a punt, Rumson took over at its own 42-yard line and put together its third scoring drive of the game. The big play came when Thomas beat his man off the line and O’Toole hit him in stride for a 48-yard gain down to the Middletown South 6-yard line. Bunnell punched it in on 4^th-and-goal from the 2-yard line for a 17-6 Bulldogs lead.

Middletown South fumbled the ensuing kickoff and Rumson’s Evan Ridgway pounced on it at the 25-yard line. The Bulldogs took time off the clock with seven straight runs, the last of which was O’Toole scoring a 1-yard touchdown on a quarterback sneak with 7:09 left.

It was a strong start for Rumson that checked several boxes. The running game was solid, the defense was opportunistic, some fresh faces made an impact, and O’Toole aired it out at a high level. It’s a long season in the American Division but starting with a victory can certainly help set a positive tone.

“This game last year was kind of a turning point for us, we made some changes and got some new guys on the field,” Schulte said. “I’m proud of our whole team tonight. Anytime you get a win vs. Middletown South, especially at Middletown South, it’s awesome.”

Box Score

No. 5 Rumson-Fair Haven 24, No. 3 Middletown South 6 

Scoring Summary

RFH – Nick Rigby 11-yard pass from Owen O’Toole (Ryan Child kick)

MS – Owen Richter 11-yard pass from Jackson Harris (kick failed)

RFH – Ryan Child 26-yard field goal

RFH – Cooper Bunnell 2-yard run (Ryan Child kick)

RFH – Owen O’Toole 1-yard run (Ryan Child kick)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING – RFH: Alastair Orr 13-57, Griffin Kolb 10-42, Owen O’Toole 4-6, Cooper Bunnell 2-2, Team 1-(-18). MS: Donovan Summey 14-64, Jake Czwakiel 1-45, Colin Gallagher 8-43, Jackson Harris 2-(-14), Team 1-(-2).

PASSING – RFH: Owen O’Toole 19-27-0 233; MS: Jackson Harris 5-7-0 35.

RECEIVING – RFH: Nick Thomas 7-110, Jordan Angstreich 4-47, Matteo Gangemi 4-37, Sean Trinder 2-22, Nick Rigby 2-17; MS: Owen Richter 3-29, Colin Gallagher 1-3, Aaron Colelli 1-3.