By: Carolyn M. Hartko
That wasn’t a wind storm blowing across Middlesex County on Wednesday. It was a collective sigh of relief emanating from South Brunswick when the high school boys’ varsity team learned that an out-of-conference game with Marlboro had been canceled.
With that contest off the schedule, the Vikings regular season record for 2001 is set at 6-6-2. That means South Brunswick meets the requirement of having a 50/50 record before the state cut-off date of October 19, which is Friday of this week.
"I called the Marlboro coach with a sinking suspicion to check on things," Viking head coach Mark Ziminski said. "They ended up bumping our game for a Shore Conference Tournament game. So we didn’t play on Wednesday, but we’re in the (NJSIAA) tournament for the eighth straight year. We’re looking forward to it."
It’s not the most glamorous way to earn a berth, but qualifying for the state tourney is always a high priority for the South Brunswick program.
With the remainder of the games in the Greater Middlesex Conference’s Red Division now completed, Ziminski also has a clearer picture of what his team can expect in the upcoming GMC Tournament.
"I’ll be surprised if we don’t get a top eight seed," Ziminski said. "We finished in third place in the Red Division, above St. Joe’s, and above Piscataway, Edison and J.P. Stevens. So I think that would assure us of at least a 6 or 7."
The Vikings are looking to host a first round game this coming Monday.

