By: Ken Weingartner
After consecutive 2-8 seasons, the South Brunswick football team last week achieved a new high for third-year coach Mark Prelewicz a third win.
But that’s nothing compared to the heights the Vikings could reach tomorrow night at home against Piscataway.
The Chiefs roll into South Brunswick 3-0, ranked No. 1 in Middlesex County, No. 7 in the state and with three straight sectional titles under their belts. And to think at Piscataway it’s the marching band that’s known as the "Super Chiefs."
Well, South Brunswick has a nationally renowned band of its own, and the Vikings’ football team has been making its own sweet music, too.
South Brunswick is 3-1 overall after a 36-0 win at Edison last week, and is tied with Piscataway at 3-0 atop the Greater Middlesex Conference Red Division. The Vikings are rated No. 8 in the county and a victory tomorrow will legitimize SB’s start and put the squad in good position to earn its first-ever playoff appearance.
"We’re just looking to show people that we’re not going to back down against big teams," Prelewicz said. "Obviously, the playoffs are on our minds, that’s going to come with it. But we’ve got to go out and prove it first, prove that we belong. We’re just looking forward to another big challenge, and to see if we can respond better this time."
The last time the Vikings played in a tough spot, in Week 3 at hostile Hunterdon Central, they were defeated 15-0 after squandering numerous scoring chances.
"Maybe the Hunterdon Central thing was a good thing for us to get us prepared for a game like this," Prelewicz said. "Our guys’ mentality is what’s impressive to me. They know what we have to do to win. They know we have to be well-rounded and that everyone has to be on."
After watching running back Vince Davidson carry the load through the first three games, the Vikings were well-rounded last week against Edison. Fullback Joe Clancy rushed for two touchdowns, including a 75-yard run, and Jamal McKinney caught a 49-yard TD pass from quarterback Mario DeFelice. Tommy Hill returned an interception 62 yards for another score.
Davidson, who had 126 yards on 18 carries, didn’t find the end zone until late in the third quarter. For the year, he has 837 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
"We know we’ve got to throw and get the ball in other people’s hands," Prelewicz said. "That’s what we hammered all last week. That’s not going to change this week. We’ve got enough talented guys on the team that if we get them the ball we can do good things.
"We knew we had to work on play-action and getting Joe the ball. We need to have confidence that Vince doesn’t have to have 200 yards every game. I think our offense is understanding that. It doesn’t need to happen every game for us to do well."
Piscataway is coming off a 35-7 win over J.P. Stevens. The Chief, who last lost a game in 2003, are averaging 36.6 points on offense while giving up just 6.3. South Brunswick is averaging 24.5 points offensively and giving up 13.8.
"They’re tough," Prelewicz said about the Chiefs. "They’re big up front, and athletic in the back. That’s what they’ve been the last three years. It’s just a matter of how we come out. We can’t come out tight. Every team that’s played them has come out tight and they take advantage of mistakes.
"The key is believing we can beat them and not letting them capitalize on any mistakes. We’re going to have to play a very solid game, connect on the things we need to connect on. When we’ve got a shot to make something happen both on offense and defense we’ve got to make it happen."
If they can, it will happen to lead to another high for the Vikings.