Middletown South uses ground and pound philosophy in win over Rumson-Fair Haven
RUMSON - Middletown High School South's approach on offense to its game at Rumson-Fair Haven's Borden Stadium was about as old school as it gets in football these days.
The Eagles, ranked No. 5 in the Asbury Park Press Top 10, ran the ball, ran the ball and the ran the ball some more in recording a 27-21 win over No. 8 Rumson-Fair Haven in a Shore Conference American Division game.
"That's who we are. That's our identity,'' Middletown South coach Steve Antonucci said. "That's what we do and what we work on week in and week out.''
Middletown South (4-1, 3-1) rushed for 289 yards on 53 carries against what is traditionally one of the Shore Conference's best defenses.
Junior running back Donovan Summey ran for 155 yards and two TDs on 35 carries. Junior Colin Gallagher ran for 91 yards and two TDs on eight carries.
The Eagles attempted only two passes.
"It's been a tradition here.,'' Summey said. "All these years, they've been running the ball. We're going to stick with it. We've always got big linemen and we're going to keep pushing. That's what we do.''
Big push from the offensive line
Right from the start, the Eagles' offensive line of left tackle Tyler Addonisio, left guard Joseph DeMarco, center Luigi Massagli, right guard Thomas Whyte, right tackle Michael Toth and tight ends Madden Stanley and Jason Wagner was getting a major push against the Bulldogs' defensive front.
Summey, Gallagher, fullback Liam Curley and quarterback Jake Czwakiel were able to consistently get to the second level before they were touched.
The Eagles' running backs also hit the hole hard and fast and made yards on their own by running through tacklers.
Middletown South's first drive, which came after Rumson-Fair Haven (3-3, 2-2) scored three plays after it recovered a fumble off the opening kickoff, was an all-running 10-play, 80-yard drive that took 5:37 off the clock. Gallagher capped the drive with a 6-yard TD run.
The second drive was an 18-play, 69-yard march in 10:23 that spanned the last 3:03 of the first quarter and the first 7:20 of the second quarter.
Summey capped that drive with a 4-yard TD run.
"They (the offensive line) were as close to perfect as they could,'' said Czwakiel, who also had two interceptions and recovered a fumble on defense. "They don't get as much as credit as they should, but we won the game because of them.''
"The benefit of the bye (Middletown South did not play last week) is we got healthy,'' Antonucci said. "Our kids had a great week of practice. We were out in the pouring rain on Tuesday and it may have been one of the best practices we had all year. I think that kind of translated itself into tonight.''
A game of adjustments
Both the Rumson-Fair Haven defense and the Middletown South offense made adjustments as the game went along, especially in the second half.
At times, the Bulldogs went to a goal-line defense in an attempt to jam up the middle.
Middletown South's final two TDs came when it went outside with option pitches.
The first was to Summey, who took it 25 yards on the left sideline behind a great block from wide receiver Logan Colleran
Gallagher took an option pitch to the right 59 yards for a TD that made it 27-7 with 1:33 left in the third quarter.
Rumson has a passing combination for now and future
Rumson-Fair Haven sophomore quarterback Owen O'Toole, despite being rushed constantly, continued his solid season and showed he is going to be one of the Shore's best quarterbacks for the next 2 1/2 seasons.
O'Toole threw for 207 yards with fourth quarter TD passes of 21 yards to Nick Thomas and 15 yards to junior Nick Rigby.
Rigby had 11 receptions for 148 yards.
Up next
Middletown South hosts Matawan (4-1) next Friday night in a nondivisional game. Rumson-Fair Haven is at Freehold Borough (0-5) Oct. 15 in a nondivisional game.
Middletown South 27, Rumson-Fair Haven 21
Middletown South 7 7 13 0 - 27
Rumson-Fair Haven 7 0 0 14 - 21
First QuarterRFH: Alastair Orr 2 run (Dominic Panke kick).
MS: Colin Gallagher 6 run (Jake Czwakiel kick).
Second Quarter
MS: Donovan Summey 4 run (Czwakiel kick).
Third Quarter
MS: Summey 25 run (kick failed).
MS: Gallagher 59 run (Czwakiel kick).
Fourth Quarter
RFH: Nick Thomas 21 pass from Owen O'Toole (Panke kick).
RFH: Nick Rigby 15 pass from O'Toole (Panke kick).
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: MS: Donovan Summey 35-155, Colin Gallagher 8-91, Jake Czwakiel 5-27, Liam Curley 4-22. Team 1-(-6). RFH: Alastair Orr 8-29, Nick Costello 1-2, Brayden Dill 1-0, Owen O'Toole 3-(-10).
PASSING: MS: Czwakiel 1-2-0-8. RFH: O'Toole 19-33-2-207.
RECEIVING: MS: Summey 1-8. RFH: Nick Rigby 11-148, Scott Venancio 3-16, Sean Trinder 2-16, Will Rehder 1-15, Orr 1-9, Dill 1-3.
INTERCEPTIONS: MS: Czwakiel 2.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ Football: Middletown South running attack keys win
