The Rumson-Fair Haven High School boys swim team is competing for a spot in the NJSIAA state tournament meets, something the Bulldogs did not envision during the preseason. The final meet of the regular season was scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 8, against Manasquan, a match-up that would be one of the toughest challenges of the season.

While Rumson-Fair Haven (9-2) only finished 20th as a team at the Shore Conference Championships on Saturday, the squad’s individual results were stronger and a testament to their depth. The Bulldogs, with the help of a freshman class that has developed more quickly than expected, registered some personal bests at the Ocean County YMCA.

“I had no idea how much depth we would get from this freshman class. If you can’t fill the lanes, you can’t score points,” fourth-year head coach Tom Toohey said. “Yesterday [the Shore Conference meets] was really solid. What I asked them to do, they did.”

Toohey cited his team’s deep roster as the team’s biggest advantage over competitors. Liam Reddy, Bryce Harlan, Brendan Thorpe, Andrew Gaffney, Matt Valko, Andrew Henderson, Kyle Burnett and Harry Haywood have stepped into more important roles than previously expected. “It’s those kids that make the team what it is this year,” Toohey added. “They score points consistently. They are the backbone of the team.”

Every win this season was a team effort for the Bulldogs, particularly a 110-60 victory over Holmdel that highlighted the effectiveness of Rumson’s underclassmen in scoring points.

“The win over Holmdel is a perfect example of what these kids are capable of,” Toohey said, adding that the Bulldogs exceeded his expectations for that meet.

Rumson-Fair Haven came through in a big way against Red Bank Catholic last week, registering another team victory over a Shore Conference rival.

“I don’t think too many people expected us to beat RBC,” Toohey said.

The emergence of Rumson’s depth of swimmers was unexpected. But with a strong freshman class playing a significant role already, the future of the program looks promising. And an appearance in the state championships would go a long way in giving the younger members of the Rumson squad some tournament experience.

“It’s nice to know you have people coming back,” Toohey said. “Just in that respect, our freshman class should have a major impact next year.”

Rumson’s meet this week against Manasquan may have been a challenging one for an emerging Bulldogs squad, but the matchup alone is representative of the team’s progress in recent years.

“If you just look at the number of championship meets, we shouldn’t even be in the same pool with them,” Toohey said prior to the Manasquan meet. “It’s a good meet to end the season with. Regardless of what happens on Wednesday, I think people will be surprised.”

As for the Bulldogs’ prospects nearing the state championships, Rumson is fighting for a qualifying spot in the NJSIAA Power Points rankings. The team is “on the cusp” of a state championship berth, Toohey noted, and the Bulldogs stand to continue exceeding expectations as teams “look past” Rumson.

“We swim against strong teams on paper and have done well,” the head coach said. “We haven’t been in contention for the Shore or Monmouth County meets simply because Christian Brothers Academy is there.”

Rumson captured the Shore Conference A Central Division crown with a 5-0 mark in the division.

It was a big year for RFH swimming; the girls (10-1) also won A Central with a 5-0 log.