Vikes look to gradually build a fire for Thanksgiving

By: Ken Weingartner
   Mark Prelewicz will have no trouble getting his South Brunswick High football team pumped for the annual Thanksgiving Day clash with North Brunswick.
   Keeping the team on an even keel in the days leading up to the contest, though, might be a different story.
   "We’re just looking to keep the guys on track," Prelewicz said. "It’s 12 days between games; it’s a long wait. We’re just trying to build things up gradually and not go crazy and burn guys out before the game.
   "The way I look at it, it’s just more time to prepare for your opponent," he added. "We’re just trying to keep them focused. They shouldn’t need to get pumped for it."
   The Vikings snapped North Brunswick’s three-game win streak in the series with a 41-0 victory last year. North Brunswick leads overall, 21-9-1.
   "It’s hard to say what to expect in this game," Prelewicz said. "Everybody’s got a little more time to prepare. We’ve seen games where teams change offense or use the extra time to retool. We’ve done it a few times; they’ve done it a few times. Sometimes people try to do some different things in this game."
   South Brunswick dropped to 3-6 with a 14-7 loss to Steinert in its NJSIAA consolation game last week. North Brunswick won for the third time in four contests, improving to 4-5, with a 40-14 victory over Marlboro in its consy.
   Greg McLendon’s 4-yard touchdown run was the only bright spot for the Vikings last week.
   "We just couldn’t get anything on track," Prelewicz said. "I thought our defense did a great job. We had a couple bad bounces early on; I guess we couldn’t make the big play when we needed it.
   "They were aggressive on defense. They were ready for us to throw the ball in the middle of the field; they had a couple big hits and interceptions. We just weren’t able to get that long sustained drive that we usually get one of. We just needed one more."
   The Vikings have gone 3-3 since starting the campaign with consecutive losses to Monroe, Sayreville and Piscataway. A victory over North Brunswick would be a nice way to end the season.
   "It’s not going to heal all the wounds, but it will heal a good amount of them," Prelewicz said. "We were looking at finishing 5-5, but it didn’t happen, so we move on. We can put all our focus now into North Brunswick; that’s what we’re looking at."
   AUDIBLES: Coach Prelewicz invites all former South Brunswick football players at the Thanksgiving Day game to join the Vikings on the sideline . "I’d like for them to be a part of the team," he said. "Most of the newer guys I know, but if some of the older alumni would like to introduce themselves and join us, that would be great. They’re welcome as well." . . . South Brunswick’s football coaches are looking to compile a record book for the program. If anyone has information regarding season or career records, contact Mark Prelewicz at the high school,732-329-4044, ext. 7233.