By: Redd E. Patrick
Ever since their freshmen seasons, Steve Sample and Cole Crosby have formed a solid 1-2 combination for the South Brunswick High School boys cross country team.
Perhaps the best is yet to come.
At the Stewart Memorial Varsity A race on Saturday, which featured 17 teams and 117 runners, both seniors finished among the top eight runners.
Sample ran Warinanco Park’s 3.1-mile challenge in 16:28 to finish second behind Matt Ciambriello of Old Bridge, who ran 16.15.
"I tried to stay with him entering the track," said Sample, referring to the final quarter-mile of the race which is contested on a track surface. "But he got away."
Crosby, meanwhile, finished eighth in a time of 16:59.
"They both ran very well," South Brunswick coach Wilfredo Rivera said. "Ciambriello is one of the best runners in the state and Steve was with him for most of the way. Cole ran okay too. They make a pretty solid 1-2 punch for us."
As a team, the Vikings finished fifth with 153 points, finishing behind CBA (151), Hunterdon Central (141), Westfield (125) and champion/GMC foe Old Bridge (48).
Sophomore Jonathan Bellizio was third for the Vikings as he finished 41st in 18:06, followed by sophomore Danny Boyle (43rd in 18:08) and junior Jon Liptak (59th in 18:27).
"I thought we could have done better as a team," Rivera said. "We have too much of a gap. But some of our sophomores ran well and got some good experience."
In a dual meet on Tuesday at Merrill Park in Woodbridge, it was Crosby (17:00), Sample (17:05) and Gabe Christafalo (17:10) going 1-2-3 as the Vikings improved to 3-1 with a 21-27 victory over J.P. Stevens. John Bellizio (17:54), Matt Boley (18:07) and Boyle (18:08) went 7-8-9.
GIRLS
Freshman sensation Sophia Ginez made her varsity debut in an invitational and the results were quite favorable.
Competing against 106 runners in the Varsity A race of the Stewart Memorial Saturday at Warinanco Park, Ginez placed sixth overall in a time of 19:22. Amana Marino, a Meet of Champions contender from Jackson, won the race in 18:25.
"I think a race like this was such a great experience for Sophia," Rivera said. "She got a taste of what it’s like to compete against some of the best in the state and she held her own. It was a great experience for her that should go a long way."
The Vikings finished seventh as a team with 175 points. They finished ahead of GMC rivals Old Bridge, Edison and East Brunswick, who went 8-9-10.
Also placing among the top 50 were Meghan Behrend, who was 24th in 20:58 and freshman Jennifer Smilgis, who placed 43rd in 21:41.
The Vikings, after beating East Brunswick and Old Bridge on opening day, appeared to be the favorite to win the GMC crown this season. But in a dual meet vs. J.P. Stevens on Tuesday at Merrill Park, the Hawks pulled off the big surprise with a 20-36 victory.
Ginez won the race in 20:03, finishing well ahead of Carmen Yau of Stevens, who ran 20:35. After Yau, Stevens went 3-4-5-6 to win handily.
For South Brunswick, Lindsey Sample was 7th (21:18), Smilgis 8th (21:45) and Stephanie Rodriguez 9th (21:50).
"J.P. Stevens is tough," Rivera said. "They had a real nice pack, which is something we don’t have right now. That’s something we have to work on."
The Vikings boys and girls will be competing at the Shore Coaches Relays on Saturday at Holmdel Park.

