By: Ken Weingartner
If the South Brunswick High football team’s 32-7 win over Edison last week was the start of a run toward the postseason, it appropriately began with the ground attack.
The Vikings notched their first win of the year thanks in large part to a running game that produced 278 yards despite losing starting tailback Greg McLendon to a knee injury. Entering the contest, South Brunswick had rushed for 181 yards in three losses.
Khalid Weston, who stepped into McLendon’s shoes, rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries against Edison while McLendon had 73 yards on five carries before being injured. Fullback Joe Clancy added 59 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings.
"We didn’t totally abandon the running game; we know we still can run the ball," South Brunswick coach Mark Prelewicz said. "Khalid is talented, we knew that. This was his first real varsity action and what he did wasn’t a surprise to us. He just finally got a chance to show what he could do."
In their first three games, the Vikings primarily relied on the arm of sophomore quarterback Mohammed Sanu to generate offense. South Brunswick shouldn’t be expected to stray from the passing attack just because of its strong rushing performance last week.
"We’ve got to get the passing game on track, it’s just a little bit off right now," Prelewicz said. "I don’t know if it’s the timing or the routes. I think we run good routes and have talented guys that can catch it. We’re just a little off, whether it’s a misstep on a route or a misread or an overthrow. It’s not always the same thing on each play, that’s what is puzzling."
Part of the inconsistency might be attributed to the inexperience of many players on the offense. Sanu is in his first year as a starter and Ray Dasant entered the season as the only receiver with substantial varsity action under his belt. Mike Clark has two touchdown catches, including a 59-yarder against Edison, to lead the team while Dasant, McLendon and Clancy have one each.
"Most of the guys we’ve got are young; even the older guys haven’t had a lot of starts," Prelewicz said. "A lot of guys are getting their first solid varsity action. But we’re close."
The Vikings, who started the scoring with a Tyler Olsson field goal, led Edison 11-0 before the Eagles scored prior to halftime. South Brunswick, though, was in control for most of the contest.
"We’ve been through so many battles, it was good to have a game that you had a handle on pretty much the whole time," Prelewicz said. "It’s good for our guys. We made a few adjustments at halftime and handled the other team instead of having to scratch and claw for the entire game."
Tomorrow night, the Vikings travel to Old Bridge. The Knights are 1-2 and, like South Brunswick, own a win over Edison (35-21). They have losses to Williamstown and J.P. Stevens.
"They run their option and they’re always dangerous," Prelewicz said. "It’s tough on a defense knowing what your assignment is and not trying to do things that you’re not assigned to do. That’s when you get into trouble. It’s a good test for us."
South Brunswick’s first three games were against teams Monroe, Sayreville and Piscataway that have combined for an 11-1 record so far this season. In fact, only an overtime loss by Monroe has prevented those squads from being perfect.
"The guys weren’t too down; they understand the schedule and how things worked out for us," Prelewicz said. "They know the rest of the games are winnable and they’re ready to go. They understand it’s almost like starting a new season.
"We have to get past Old Bridge first; we’re not looking ahead to anybody. It’s all the old clichés about taking one at a time and seeing how thing play out. We know we have to win them all and see what happens."

