Wall Clinches Central Group III Championship

By Chris Dailey
Special correspondent to The Crimson Courier

     It was a cold Friday night as the Wall High School football team hosted the Rumson-Fair Haven Bulldogs for the Central Jersey Group III Championship Fri., Nov. 22. A huge crowd filled the bleachers, everyone ready for the whistle to blow and the game to start.
   In the second half, Rumson needed one point to tie the game and force a potential overtime, but the Bulldogs’ kicker hit the right upright and the Crimson Knights secured a 14-13 win and the Central Jersey Group III Championship. 
   This wasn’t Wall and Rumson’s first tangle this season as they met in the second game back on Sept. 13, which resulted in a 14-3 win for the Knights. That was a win that saw Wall surge into a state championship contender. Against that same team, coached by Wall High School science teacher Jerry Schulte no less, they had the opportunity to make their dreams a reality.
      Despite the Bulldogs slowing the Wall run game, they couldn’t find a way to contain the Knights through the air. Junior quarterback Logan Peters found classmate Casey Larkin for two huge touchdowns in the first half, one being a 43-yard effort down the field. 
     “We set him up on the outside because we thought he might have a one on one and, if he has a one on one, I am going to find him,” Peters said about Larkin. “He then made a crazy catch in the back corner, you can’t ask for much more than that as a quarterback.” 
     Meanwhile, the Rumson offense couldn’t put the final piece of the puzzle together. It connected on several quick passing plays that saw them gain multiple first downs, but they headed to the locker room at  the end of the first half trailing Wall 14-0. 
    That didn’t last long after Rumson quarterback Collin Coles and his offense connected for several first downs to start the second half, moving all the way down the field in a seven-minute drive that saw Patrick Crawley deliver a 2-yard rush and help the Bulldogs get their first points of the night. 
    Rumson then forced Wall to punt and that resulted in yet another touchdown drive for the Bulldogs before the missed point after attempt.
    “It’s the goal that we sent out to be in the beginning of the year and every week we took a step forward to accomplish that goal,” said Wall head coach Tony Gradinetti, who was certainly happy with his team knowing that they were headed to Rutgers University to play in the regional state championship game. “I’m really excited and proud of everyone.”
   “It’s crazy, I’m just going to enjoy the moment and have fun with my boys,” Peters said about going to the regional state championship game against South Jersey Group III champ Woodrow Wilson High School, Wall’s final game of the season and one of the most important games in the history of Crimson Knights’ football.