Senior tailback Josh Brister (above) got help from 4 other ball carriers against Keansburg.

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Just because Brister is the guy, though, doesn't mean that he's the only guy.

On Saturday afternoon, the Bulldogs used Brister sparingly in comparison to the opener against the Hornets. Instead, they employed a 5-man running attack that the Titans simply had no answer for.

Naturally, Brister got his share. Eighty-six all purpose yards, 60 of which came from 15 carries on the ground, and a beautiful touchdown run that got the Dawgs on the scoreboard first with 5:12 left in the first quarter. But it was the other guys that truly sealed the victory for RFH against Keansburg.

The phrase "other guys" could be in reference to any number of contributors on the offensive side of the ball for RFH. There was junior tailback Robbie Kelly, who spelled Brister on several drives. There were senior fullbacks Ryan McDonagh and Paul Babiak, each of whom got several carries. There was junior quarterback Sean Burke, who was able to tuck and run on several occasions, including a 1-yard QB sneak for a touchdown. And, in what was the biggest surprise of the day, there was sophomore Mike Guzman, who got his first significant varsity carries on Saturday. All in all, the Dawgs totaled 130 yards of rushing.

Following that early score by Brister, the Rumson defense forced their first of three "three-and-outs" on the day, putting the ball back in Burke's hands after a Keansburg punt. The Dawgs converted for the second time, although this time, it was in the air, as Burke tossed his first varsity touchdown to junior tight end Paul-Michael Barrows on a 21-yard play. Neither team would score in the second quarter, and, going into halftime up 14-0, RFH was in the driver's seat.

Said Burke of the touchdown pass, "We had Barrows running a small route over the middle of the field. My job was to drop back and get the safeties out of that area with my eyes and give him a catchable ball. He caught it and did the rest. All the credit goes to him."

Added Rumson head coach Shane Fallon, "I thought our quarterback Sean Burke did a really good job of managing our offense. He made the throws that we needed him to make."

Rumson's third scoring drive of the day was their second of the second half, as they were carried by Guzman and Babiak to the goal line. Although they failed to put it in the endzone on first, second, and third down, the Dawgs finally punched it in with Burke's sneak, bringing the score to 21-0. On the ensuing kickoff, junior kicker Tucker Smith pinned the Titans on their own 7 yard line. After a run by junior quarterback Frank Soleo tallied minus-3 yards, and an incomplete pass, Rumson junior defensive end Chris Hofer sacked Soleo in the endzone on 3rd down for safety. The safety would mark the last RFH score of the day. Keansburg would eventually score with 8 seconds left on a Soleo 60-yard bomb to junior wideout Carl Williams.

For the Titans, it was a day of frustration, on both offense and defense. Offensively, Soleo was consistently pressured by senior defensive end Justin Hook, who recorded a career high 3 sacks, and senior defensive tackle, Taylor Brown, who had 1 sack. The Titans also missed out on a huge scoring opportunity when senior tailback Dan Gogan fumbled on a second-and-goal play from the 5-yard line. Defensively, Keansburg surrendered a ton of yards to Rumson with more than five offsides penalties. These simple mistakes, which ultimately added up, ended up being Keansburg's undoing.

The Titans, who are 0-2, will face Monsignor Donovan next Friday night. For RFH, the victory over Keansburg brings them to 2-0, and they can now start preparing for what could be their most important game of the season. On Friday night, the defending Group I state champions will come to town as the Dawgs will face off against the #1 Asbury Park Blue Bishops in their home opener.

Said Fallon of the upcoming match-up against the Blue Bishops, "They have a lot of weapons, a lot of talent, and a lot of kids back from that state championship team, so it is going to be a heck of a challenge for our staff and kids. It's going to be a special night next Friday night, and that's what makes high school sports so great."