In some ways, RFH football starting from scratch

Rumson-Fair Haven head football coach Shane Fallon is one of the more renowned straight-shooters in the Shore Conference's coaching ranks.

While many coaches shy away from saying anything controversial in the hopes of keeping everyone in their respective football communities happy, Fallon isn't afraid to give a juicier quote, especially if it means creating realistic expectations for his team.

That's why, true to form, the RFH coach was quick to address his areas of concern with this year's Bulldogs squad.

"I need a new offense," he said. "My offense went to college."

Last year's run to the team's first state sectional final since 1989 helped further reinvigorate a RFH program that was consistently one of the better teams in the Patriot Division, but did not have much playoff success to show for it. And after losing a tight game to Carteret in the final, the Bulldogs promised that their 9-3 record and a strong postseason showing were merely a sign of things to come.

However, in the interim, most of one of the Shore's most prolific offense graduated, led by quarterback Matt Wassell and wide receivers John Lembeck and Ryan Kirchner. This year's offensive unit has just two players that started any games last year, and that came at the same position.

"Two kids, Dean Wise and Tim Robinson, alternated starts on the offensive line last year, and rotated every other series," Fallon said. "So you can say that they were both starters."

And that's where that conversation ends.

"We've got a lot of kids playing for the first time on offense," the coach said.

In fact, RFH's best offensive weapon may come on special teams, where junior Tucker Smith has been impressive this preseason.

"He's been kicking 50-yard field goals consistently in practice," Fallon said. "He handled the kick-offs for us last year, and worked really hard on improving his accuracy with the field goals. He's got a real big leg, so with him leading the way, I expect our special teams to be pretty good."

The Bulldogs will likely need Smith to be good early on, as they continue to look for offensive firepower.

"Obviously, we've been struggling to score points in our scrimmages, not that we're overly concerned with the outcome of the scrimmages," the coach said. "We don't game plan for them, so we're really more concerned with showing improvement in every aspect of the game."

The rest of the RFH line may not be big on experience, but they are big in stature. Joining Wise and Robinson up front will be senior Taylor Brown (270) at center, sophomore Matt Gilbertson at right tackle and junior Quinton Gierlowitcz at left tackle. Also in the offensive line rotation will be junior Shane Cunneff and Hessinger. This is an offensive line that could become one of the team's strengths before long.

With junior Sean Burke replacing Wassell under center, Fallon will look to him and senior tight end Paul Michael Barrows to help hold down the fort while the newcomers get their feet wet.

"Paul Michael saw some time last year when we went to a two tight-end set," Fallon said.

The other targets in the passing game will be wideouts Dan Ryan and a trio of juniors, Trey Potter, Cody McCauley and Sean Walrath. In the backfield, Fallon expects to eventually start senior Josh Brister and junior Rob Kelly.

"Right now we just need to get our running backs back," Fallon said. "We've had three running backs hurt this preseason from a variety of injuries, so we've been in a situation where we've had some of our fullbacks in the tailback position.

"But Rob is a player who saw some time last year in the backfield, and he has good vision," the coach added. "I expect some good things from both of them."

Senior Paul Babiak will also get some carries in the backfield for a RFH team that certainly will not resemble the offensive juggernaut of a year ago.

"We won't be scoring 29 points a game this year, that's for sure," the coach said, referring to last season's outstanding per-game average. "Offensively we're finding our way. If the offense gets better each week, which we think it will, we expect another solid season."

What helps make the case for that prediction is a strong returning defensive presence.

"We've got six guys back that started, and it's a good group," Fallon said.

Brown is a threeyear starter on the defensive line, where he has earned some attention from Division I programs. Junior Chris Hofer is also back on the defensive line, where he will be joined by Mike Connor, who played football as a freshman before taking two years off to concentrate on swimming. At 6-3, 230 pounds, he was welcomed back with open arms.

Junior Stan Hessinger and senior Justin Hook will also start on what should be a big, punishing defensive front.

Babiak is back to lead a crew of linebackers that includes senior Rob Olshan and junior John Riley with sophomore Michael Huttner also in the rotation.

The secondary is perhaps the Bulldogs' most experienced area, with Brister, Ryan and senior Charlie O'Brien returning after starting last year. They will be joined by Barrows and junior Pete Corsi, as well as senior Chris Freidel.

"We'll have to rely on our defense a little bit early on while the offense works to improve," Fallon said, adding that it's not a stretch to call his team a contender in the Patriot Division - a division the Bulldogs have either won or shared the title for over the last two years.

"Asbury Park is clearly the favorite, as they've got a lot of kids back from a state championship team," the coach said. "But I expect there to be a lot of very close ballgames in our division this year. The fans will certainly get their monies worth."

You can be sure that Asbury Park has Sept. 27 circled on its calendar, as the Blue Bishops will travel to Borden Field looking to avenge their only loss of the year last season to RFH.

As for RFH, they open the season at Holmdel in a rematch of last year's thrilling state semifinal game.

"The score may be the same (14-7) but I think it's going to be a little different type of game," Fallon said with a laugh. "They graduated a ton of kids just like we did, so I think it may not be played at the same level as that game was.

"But we're going to keep working at it, and we'll see what happens," the 11thyear coach added. "The kids are working hard, and that's the important part."