Bonich seeks stability for MHS cross country program

By: Redd E. Patrick
   If Frank Bonich decides to make a career at it, he has a good chance to turn the Monroe High School cross country program into a successful one.
   The trick is, getting a MHS harrier coach to make a career of it. As Bonich becomes the fourth head coach in four years at Monroe, he has a solid nucleus to work with as far as the boys team goes. As school begins, the Falcons have 12 members on the team, all of them are underclassmen and several sophomores enjoyed success as freshmen in 2000.
   As for the girls, which had a proud tradition in the mid-to-late 1990s, they have just two runners, but Bonich is young and enthusiastic, so he’s planning on getting the numbers up.
   "I’m excited, this is my first head coaching experience,” said Bonich, who is in his second year of teaching physical education classes at three Monroe schools, including two at the high school. "I heard they’ve had a lot of different coaches here the past few years, but hopefully I can stick around for a while and break that spell.”
   The boys team will be led by junior co-captain Matt Buchma, the team’s No. 1 last year and this year. The rest of the top five features all sophomores in Joe Schmidt, Joe Garavente, Ryan Sengebush and Jay Merrick. At last year’s Battle of Monmouth Class Meet, Monroe finished sixth out of 16 teams around the state in the Freshman Division. In a field of close to 70 runners, Schmidt finished 11th, Sengebush 22nd and Merrick 41st.
   Junior co-captain Chris Reiser, classmate Dave Arnold and sophomores Tom Albetta and John Ronan will provide depth, while freshmen Rich Rendeiro, Johnny Ventriello and Stephen Modzelewski will provide a foundation for the future.
   "I asked our AD (Doug Bayley) the other day about last year,” said Bonich, who has been an assistant track coach at Jackson and now at Monroe. "He said the boys team was 1-10. So I told the kids I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that we were 1-10 last year, so the good news is that we can only get better.”
   The girls team featured just two runners a year ago in Amy Finkel and Kristi Motyka. Finkel graduated, so Motyka will represent the future of the program. In 2000, Motyka finished second in the GMC Freshman championship.
   She will be joined this season by freshman Jessica Magid.
   "I’m hoping we can start getting more girls out,” said Bonich, a state caliber javelin thrower at Jackson High School. "I’d like to build the program up. Overall, I’m just very excited."