By: Sean Richards
With a young team and the bulk of its matches on strange and foreign courses, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the South Brunswick High School golf team had gotten off to a slow start this year.
It didn’t happen.
Although the Vikings dropped their first two matches, they quickly rebounded to win four straight to take a 4-2 record into today’s (Thursday’s) home match Middlesex at Bunker Hill.
"You always want to do better, but overall I’m pleased," said veteran coach Mark Kraft, whose team lost to prep powerhouse Peddie and Edison, but defeated J.P. Stevens, South River, J.F. Kennedy and Old Bridge. "Peddie is tough and Edison shot lights out; you have to give them credit.
"We’re young, but we knew that going in. For a lot of our guys it was the first time they played some of these courses. That makes it a lot tougher."
Monday’s win over Old Bridge was particularly satisfying because Old Bridge is a traditional power and the match was played at the tough Glen Wood course. What looked to be a challenge became a Viking clinic, with senior Bryant Morin leading the way with a 42. Right behind on the par 36 course were Christian Dellow (43), Richard Stewart (44) and Nick Trill (44).
A three-year starter, Morin has showed the way through much of the early going, including a 39 at the difficult Metuchen Country Club. A pair of juniors, Stewart and Dellow have also been steady for South Brunswick, consistently scoring in the low 40s for a team that finished tied for the Greater Middlesex Conference’s White Division championship last year.
"They’ve both been really smooth," confirmed Kraft. "They’ve been very steady and making it much easier for our team as a whole."
Other players who have Kraft excited are sophomore Trill and Tyler Zenda, a freshman with a smooth swing and a lot of savvy around the course for such a young age.
"Trill shot a 42 at Metuchen, which is very good," Kraft said. "And Zenda has come from out of nowhere. He’s not only good; He’s exciting. It’s very good news for us."
To date, Kraft has used eight golfers on the varsity. With that kind of depth and a host of matches on tap at Bunker Hill, you can just feel the excitement for what has been a flagship program at South Brunswick.
"Anytime you can play at home, it’s a big plus," said Kraft, whose team will face St. Joe’s of Metuchen and J.P. Stevens next week. "St. Joe’s will be difficult, but I like the way our team is coming on.
"You’re never where you’d really like to be, but we’re getting there."
In other words, it’s business as usual with the South Brunswick golf team.

