Boys take break before wars

By: David Gurney
   After an electric 10-1-1 start to open up the season, probably the last thing the South Brunswick High School boys varsity team wanted was a prolonged break.
   But after dropping a 2-1 decision to Monroe on Saturday to lose their last three games by a combined three goals, maybe a break would do them good.
   It certainly couldn’t hurt.
   "There’s a lull in every season, not that it’s a good thing," head coach Chris Hayston said. "I think people will hit their second wind soon and we’ll make adjustments.
   "I’m confident we’ll perform well. We were in a similar position last year and made a good run, so I think we’re ready to go."
   With county and state tournament berths wrapped up and determined, Hayston and the coaching staff elected to give the squad a day off to recuperate after rain postponed the Vikings’ contest against rival North Brunswick Tuesday, which will be played today in North Brunswick.
   This past week the Vikes earned the four seed in the GMC Tournament after winning the Red Division with a mark of 9-2-1 and finishing with a 10-4-1 record.
   As a result, SBHS has a bye through the opening two rounds of the tournament and will have to wait until Monday to play their first tournament contest, potentially against No. 14 JFK.
   The top three seeds belong to White Division squads Sayreville, North Brunswick and Monroe, earning one through three, respectively. Rounding out the top eight, five through eight are East Brunswick, Blue Division champ Spotswood, J.P. Stevens, and Gold Division champ Perth Amboy Tech.
   If all goes according to plan, although it rarely does, SB would face division rival EB in the quarterfinals and top-seeded Sayreville in the semifinals.
   But for obvious reasons the Vikings can’t look too far ahead, as any team is capable of knocking out another, at least amongst the top 16.
   "I guess you can throw tradition out the window with the GMC’s," Hayston said. "Inside the bracket, it doesn’t bother us either way, because every game is going to be tough. And JFK had an excellent season. Legitimately, six or seven teams can win or at the least can make a run this year."
   Well, it won’t be as if the Vikings aren’t battle-tested.
   Enduring a tough Red Division schedule, as well as consecutive contests against the No.2 and 3 seeds will get you ready.
   But with the recent losses, Hayston and the Vikes will look to continue to tinker and experiment to get the right mix on the field.
   "We’re going to try other things — if there’s a way for us to play better, we’re going to try it," Hayston said. "We’ve never been afraid to make changes. I’m not upset with anyone’s play, that’s why we’ve been successful. But we’ll make some more changes where we see fit."
   In the Vikings’ loss to Monroe, Hayston switched Kazuki Yamada and Sean Tyree between the offensive and defensive midfield positions and hasn’t ruled out shaking up the defense a bit after allowing nine goals the past three games.
   "It’s complicated to make changes in the defense, because it’s been all 11 guys," Hayston said. "My feeling, all 11 have to play better defensively.
   "As a team, we’re going to have to play better defensively than we did against Monroe. But we have to improve back there."
   Yet, coming off a contest where the Vikes only scored on a penalty kick by Troy Confessore and were outplayed for the most part, elevating their level of play would seem to be priority number one.
   "We have to bring a certain level of intensity for 80 minutes," Hayston said. "We have to bring our highest level of concentration and focus for the rest of the season."