Senior running back Geoff Schroder powers Rumson to showdown against RBC
RUMSON, N.J. —聽 Rumson-Fair Haven football head coach Jerry Schulte preaches team-building over simply being a team; a roster made up of young men ready to make an impact when their opportunity comes.
鈥淲e get a lot of kids…and that allows our guys to go only one way so they don鈥檛 have to worry about another position,鈥� Schulte told . 鈥淲e just get special kids, I don鈥檛 know any other way to say it.鈥�
Few players in the entire Shore Conference have been as special as Rumson鈥檚 senior running back Geoff Schroeder. After backing up longtime starter John Volker for the past three seasons, Schroeder鈥檚 time to seize the top backfield job finally came this fall. His success has continued Rumson鈥檚 lengthy history of developing running backs.
As the centerpiece of the Bulldog鈥檚 offense, Schroeder has carried the team to a 5-0 record to begin the season. The hot start continued last Friday with a commanding 21-6 win over Colts Neck, complete with 148 yards rushing and three touchdowns from No. 20. After the game, Schroeder was quick to credit the team-wide effort behind his big year.
鈥淭his offense is more aligned than ever with our O-line [offensive line],鈥� Schroeder said to the . 鈥淲e make moves in the secondary, but we can鈥檛 get past that first level or the linebackers without the help of the O-line, the receivers blocking, and the fullback.鈥�
Still, it would be impossible to overlook what Schroeder himself has done through the first half of the season. He has 619 rushing yards and eight touchdowns just five weeks into the year, an average of 123.8 rushing yards per game. Schroeder鈥檚 current pace would have him at just under 1,500 rushing yards over twelve games, which would be the highest mark for a Rumson running back since Peter Lucas in 2017,
Although Schroeder is making a name for himself as Rumson鈥檚 biggest attraction, the outstanding play of the Bulldogs鈥� defense is worth mentioning as well. The team has given up just 19 points total this year with a miniscule 3.8 points allowed per game. Schroeder himself called the unit 鈥渙ne of the most consistently sound and well-coached defenses in the entire state,鈥�
However, that level of excellence would be hard to maintain without control of the ball, something made possible by the running excellence of their star senior.聽
Now, Rumson faces their biggest test of the season when they go toe-to-toe with fellow unbeaten Red Bank Catholic on Friday night, in the last game of the Shore Conference regular season.聽
While it will be one of Schroeder鈥檚 final games at Rumson, and arguably his most important, he isn鈥檛 preparing any differently.聽
鈥淚t鈥檚 going to be really exciting, that鈥檚 the game that everybody is going to want to see,鈥� Schroeder 鈥淲e鈥檙e going to treat them like any other team. I feel like if we just play our style of football and we come to play, we鈥檒l be ok.鈥�
Rumson鈥檚 style of football, running up the middle and taking it to opposing defenses, is one Schroeder has thrived in during his first and final year in the spotlight. That doesn鈥檛 mean Schulte and the coaching staff are worrying about Geoff鈥檚 successor next season.
鈥淲e train our kids throughout their whole career. That鈥檚 why it’s a program and not just a team,鈥� Schulte told the . 鈥淲e always know who we鈥檙e losing, who鈥檚 coming back and what they can do. That鈥檚 our approach.鈥�
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