12 new starters, no problem: How this undefeated team pulled off a remarkable three-peat

The granddaughter of a New Jersey coaching legend, a first year quarterback and a baby-faced freshman wide receiver all played major roles for Rumson-Fair Haven in the Shore Conference Flag Football Championship on Tuesday.

Sydney Rettino, whose late grandfather, Lou, was a coaching icon at Union High School, had four sacks to lead a spirited defensive effort; junior quarterback Izzy Capra, who was persuaded by her father to try football, threw three touchdowns; two of the scoring passes went to Devon Libro, who was exclusively a cornerback until two games ago.

Rumson-Fair Haven, which opened the season with 12 new starters, won its third-straight SCT title with an 18-12 victory over Pinelands in Rumson.

RFH finished 9-0-1 and has not lost since the 2023 regular season

“This group has been special all season,” said Rumson-Fair Haven head coach Randy Kalman. “When we started up and saw the speed and the athletes we had, we thought this team could be just as great as the team we had last year. The only thing they didn’t have was experience.”

“This win is a reflection of the job our coaches do,” Capra said. “We lost 12 starters from last year’s team and we were still able to do it (win the SCT) again.”

The Bulldogs played like veterans on Tuesday, however.

Rettino terrorized Pinelands quarterback Heidi Cyphert, pressuring the pass from the line of scrimmage, the linebacker level and even from safety.

The RFH defense stifled the Pinelands offense in the first half, limiting a potent Pinelands offense to minus one yard rushing and 74 total yards in the first half when the Bulldogs took a 12-0 lead.

“I had the mentality that I wanted to keep her (Cyphert) in her own sphere,” Rettino said. “If I could make her throw quickly she would be less accurate.”

Meanwhile, the Rumson offense scored on three big plays. Twice Capra, who finished 10 of 14 for 199 yards, found Libro speeding past Pinelands defenders on a seam route. One went for 15 yards, the other for 51. Capra also dropped a short pass to Stella Saad, who eluded multiple defenders on her way to a 62-yard score.

“I saw Devon (Libro) run by the Pinelands girl on the first one,” Capra said. “I trusted her again on the second one.”

“Izzy is really good,” Libro said. “I was wide open on them both. There wasn’t any deception (on the two pass routes) I just ran down the seam.”

The loss ended Pinelands’ seven-game winning streak. The 9-2 Wildcats allowed their first points in the tournament.

“We wanted to play up tempo and we just weren’t able to do it,” said Pinelands head coach John Tierney. “That’s why they (RFH) are the three-time champs.

“We’re knocking on the door,” Tierney added. “We have everybody back next season.”

Rumson broke a scoreless tie on its third possession after its defense stopped Pinelands on a fourth-and-one. The six-play drive was culminated by the first Capra-to-Libro touchdown.

The Bulldogs made it 12-0 with 5:57 left in the first half on the catch and run by Saad.

Pinelands got on the board on its second possession of the second half when Cyphert, who finished 11 of 23 for 193 yards, threw a 12-yard TD pass to Jayla Klein with 12:54 left to play.

However, RFH responded on its ensuing possession with the second TD strike from Capra to Libro making the scored 18-6.

Pinelands made it 18-12 with under a minute left on an 18-yard run by Cyphert.

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Joe Zedalis covers the Shore Conference for NJ.com. He can be reached at jzedalis@njadvancemedia.com.