Best season ever? Maybe
By: Rudy Brandl
Having covered over 50 athletic seasons at Manville High, I can honestly report that the spring of 2003 was the most productive in my tenure as sports editor.
First, let’s just start with simple numbers of wins and losses. Manville’s three varsity teams combined for a 35-10 record. That’s winning more than 75 percent of the time not too shabby.
Second, but certainly not in terms of importance, let’s talk championships. Both the baseball and softball teams won sole possession of the Sky Division title and added a beautiful new banner to the school gymnasium. In addition, track athletes Chris Greene and Amy Cutler won individual titles at championship meets and received gold medals for their efforts.
We’ve had one or two of these things happen, but never all in the same scholastic season in well over a decade. I know it hasn’t happened since I’ve been covering the Mustangs.
While the spring has become the school’s best athletic season in the past five years, it never reached this year’s overall level of excellence. The baseball and softball teams dominated most of their opponents, while the surprising track and field squad provided heroics on both the team and individual level.
Every week, there were several big stories to report. Hey, it’s the end of June and I’m still talking about it. You’ll read more in the upcoming weeks when we honor the school’s top athletes and finish with a comprehensive review of the entire school year.
Before we get to that, let’s take one final look back at the finest MHS spring season in recent memory, at least mine, in the Manville High Spring Athletic Awards:
Best Team Softball. This was a tough call, but I’m giving the nod to the Lady Mustangs for a few reasons. First, only three runs separated the girls a perfect record until the final game, when Middlesex blew them out by two touchdowns. Second, they finished with the best record in the school (16-4) since the 1997 softball team, one of the best in MHS history. Third, they bounced back after every tough defeat and resumed their dominant ways. The Lady Mustangs didn’t get that chance after losing in the CJ 1 semifinals, but they won a state playoff game for the second straight year.
Best Athlete Chris Greene, track and field. This senior wrote a new story almost every week this spring. First, he showed up late for a meet because of participation in a robotics competition and helped his team pull out a victory. Then, the 220-pound weightman posted a surprising first place in a decisive high jump competition to win another dual meet. In May, Greene placed in all three throwing events at the Mountain Valley Conference meet and won the javelin title at the Central Jersey Group 1 Championships. He also scored in the shot put and discus and competed in all three events at the State Group 1 Championships in Egg Harbor.
Best Coach Steve Venuto, baseball. The veteran skipper did a tremendous job this spring in his 10th year at the helm. Venuto had to deal with injuries and suspensions but never let his team lose focus even after being blown out twice in eight days by Rutgers Prep. The pre-season goal was to win the Sky Division title and Venuto helped the Mustangs stay on track despite the soggiest spring in years. Venuto’s team finished with a 13-4 record, with all 13 victories coming in the division.
Most Exciting Moments Two of the school’s biggest moments didn’t involve actual game action, but took place on Thursday, May 29, when the Dayton baseball team and David Brearley softball team lost in Sky Division play to give the MHS teams sole possession of the banners … Chris Greene unleashed a personal-best javelin throw of 158 feet, 8 inches to win a hotly-contested event at the Central Jersey Group 1 Championships … Greene somehow found a way to soar over the bar at 5-2 to defeat Dayton’s four high jumpers and lead his team to the season’s most exciting dual meet victory … Amy Cutler set a school record and nearly established a new meet standard (17-0½) in winning the Mountain Valley Conference long jump title … the unusual and impressive Kim Kaminski-to-Stefanie Bocchino-to Lisa Lavenia double play in the third inning took the steam out of Dunellen in the Central Jersey Group 1 playoff game in Manville … senior softball catcher Kristin Jones alertly sprinted home after a mixup in the Dunellen infield later that day to help Manville roll in the first round of the states … and senior baseball catcher Jimmy Thomaszfski laced a two-run single to chase Bound Brook starter Steve Lidster in the third inning of the team’s first victory over their rivals.
Best Game Performances Sean McCarthy fired a perfect game over five innings and drove in five runs to star in a 17-0 baseball romp over Roselle … Eddie Gryzeski flirted with a perfect game for four innings and completely baffled Bound Brook with a stellar three-hitter in a 12-3 victory … Gryzeski was also brilliant in a five-inning one-hit shutout with nine strikeouts against Roselle … Stefanie Bocchino came through with a pair of clutch two-out, two-RBI hits in an 8-4 softball victory over Rutgers Prep … softball leadoff batter Dana Delesky went 5-for-5 in a 25-0 blowout of Newark Technology on Opening Day … teammate Lisa Lavenia rapped two home runs in that romp … Amy Ortman opened the season with consecutive one-hitters and didn’t allow a run until the seventh game of the season.
Most Impressive Stats Chris Greene scored 123 points out of a possible 140 in seven track and field dual meets … junior third baseman Stefanie Bocchino ripped 11 extra-base hits and led the softball team with 37 RBI in 20 games, while senior shortstop Lisa Lavenia belted six home runs and drove in 36 runs in 19 games … senior catcher Jimmy Thomaszfski batted .589 with 33 base hits … junior ace Eddie Gryzeski went 6-1 with 69 strikeouts and only 19 walks in over 45 innings of work.
Sophomore Sensations Baseball player Steve Anderson … softball speedsters Dana Delesky and Sarah Ortman … distance runners Mike Andreyko and Rich Ozieblo.
Junior Jewels Ace pitcher Eddie Gryzeski and baseball teammates Sean McCarthy and Glen Liszczak … softball corners Stefanie Bocchino (third base) and Becky Borawski (first base) and outfielder Alicia Weaver .
Senior Stars Baseball players Jimmy Thomaszfski, Robert Snyder, Justin Jurkowski, Jon Pfoutz, Jon Gangwer and John Saladin … softball players Amy Ortman, Lisa Lavenia, Jenna Breslow, Kristin Jones and Kim Kaminski … track and field athletes Chris Greene, Chris Wass, Jimmy Noble and Kile Galasso.