By: David Gurney
The South Brunswick High School boys golf team could have assured itself of a top four seed with a win over St. Joseph’s of Metuchen on Tuesday, at least in the eyes of head coach Mark Kraft.
Now, it’s out of their hands and they’re going to need a little bit of help.
South’s 168-178 defeat to St. Joseph’s came on the heels of a loss to Peddie on Saturday and a pair of dual match wins against Colonia and JFK the previous week.
Now, the Vikings find themselves at 10-4 and, most likely, out of the top five when the GMCT seedings come out next week.
"Today was a disappointment because it’s going to hurt our seeding at GMC’s," Kraft said. "We were trying to shoot for the top four, but the loss will probably keep us out of there. The Top four play in first group of foursomes, which gives them a chance to keep track of each other. If we’re to get in there we’ll need some help.
"We could have controlled our seeding. Now we need help."
Against St. Joe’s, senior Rich Stewart and junior Nick Trill led the way with 43’s, while sophomore Tyler Zenda and junior Tim Lewis trailed with a pair of 46’s at Metuchen Country Club.
"We had beaten them earlier this year and I told the guys St. Joe’s didn’t beat us, the course beat us," Kraft said. "We didn’t play as well and we have to make quicker adjustments. But Metuchen Country Club beat us, not St. Joe’s. It just hurts our seeding."
Yet, it wasn’t enough for the Vikings who have now dropped two dual matches in a row, factoring in Saturday’s 197-226 loss at Peddie.
There, Stewart, Trill and junior Tim Lewis each scored 44 to lead the Vikings, while senior Greg Varga and sophomore Tyler Zenda followed with a 46 and 48, respectively.
But on the par-37 course, all five of Peddie’s top scorers finished with at least a 43, with the low a 35 by Max Bichsel.
"They are a talented group of golfers and this is unacceptable to them," Kraft said about the team. "It was tough against Peddie, you need 40’s to keep close, not 45’s. We just can’t let this manifest. Peddie has some older kids, some fifth-year players and they handle their course well."
Earlier in the week, SB defeated Colonia 158-191 and JFK 163-196, both at Bunker Hill. Against Colonia, Lewis led the way with a 38, while senior Christian Dellow followed with a 39. Stewart and senior Chris Kardosh topped off the scoring with a 40 and 41, respectively.
Later in the week, against JFK, Lewis again guided the squad with a 2-under 34. Trill was next with a 42 and Zenda right after with a 43. Junior Andrew Foltiny was the last of the four with a 44 overall.
Despite the slide, the Vikings still are in good shape to be a high seed in the GMCT’s and already have qualified for the state tournament, the 20th in a row for Kraft and the program.
It’s a milestone that Kraft doesn’t take lightly, even though it has come with regularity.
"It’s pretty exciting," the coach said. "It ultimately means I stood the test of time. I started the program 22 years ago and I’ve been really fortunate to have good players. But I’m not done."
