Viking XC teams search for sustained quality

By: Mike Holcombe
   Both the boys and girls cross country teams at South Brunswick High School are coming off pretty decent seasons in 2006, but with differences in the numbers of proven performers returning to their respective lineups, they face quite different challenges.
   But both teams, it seems, have the potential of putting South Brunswick back on course to becoming a perennial contender in the Greater Middlesex Conference, which was not uncommon a few years back.
   "I think we’ve been trying to drive home the point that last year was the start of something and not a rare taste of having a pretty decent season," said coach Wil Rivera in discussing his boys team, which took second in the GMC Championship and advanced out of sectionals to the Group IV meet last year. "We need to do some positive things and move in the right direction. That’s the message. Some kids get it and some still need to focus, but we want to be a school that is always a part of the conversation when they are talking about cross country at the start of every year."
   Rivera’s boys team certainly was generating some chatter a year ago, when it finished 5-2 in the GMC’s Red Division. It was the best year that the Vikings had had in some time but with the graduation of the team’s top four runners, the prospects for this season are contingent upon a number of factors.
   Rivera seems undaunted by the challenges and feels that his squad has enough talent, albeit untested, to maybe match last year’s success and even try to take it up a notch.
   "We have less experience on the varsity level," the coach admits. "This is a young group. But this could be a good year. We’re getting some experience and trying to do some good things and hopefully we’ll improve. We don’t want to go backwards.
   "We were 5-2 (in the conference) last year and we want to improve on that. That’s our goal for the season. We want to get some guys some experience and learn how to run as a team and start pack running. A lot of the guys are comparable to each other in terms of their ability and we’re hoping that someone is going to break through and stand out."
   Rivera thinks that breakthrough runner could be junior Jonathan Bellizio, though he admits that any of his four other returnees could forge ahead depending on how the season progresses.
   "Right now the guy who has done a lot of work over the summer and seems to be doing all the right things is Bellizio," Rivera said. "He was the fastest guy at our time trial. He has a little injury that he’s working through right now. Some of the other runners may need a few races under their belt to get back in the swing and in our sport a lot of it is just being able to stay healthy and not breaking down. Usually the guys that can stay injury free, not break down and endure the toll of the mileage will be there at the end."
   Rivera has four other runners who he expects to be the nucleus. Yahwanth Manjunath is the lone senior of the group and he will be joined by juniors Danny Boyle, Matt Boley and Sean Monahan.
   In addition, Rivera will be counting on junior William Pan and sophomore Brian Dixon to step up and contribute this fall.
   On the girls side, Rivera will be working with a lot more proven talent. Unlike the boys, the Lady Viking failed to move out of their sectional to the groups last year. But they were extremely young, with four freshmen among the top seven runners, and competing in a sectional that included many of the top ranked teams in the state.
   South Brunswick graduated only one girl from that team, which makes it young, but experienced. It’s a rare combination and bodes well for a squad that finished second in the GMC Red Division a season ago with a 5-1 record and won the GMC Championship.
   It’s clear that Rivera is excited by the prospects of his girls squad and is hoping to make big strides this year.
   "The goal for this year," he says, "is that we want to win our division, which we didn’t do last year. We did win the GMC Championship and it would be nice to do that again. For us it’s not about one year, it’s about what you can do year to year. Our biggest goal for the girls is to be in a position so that we can get out of our section. We haven’t done that in a while.
   "We’re excited. I thought some of the summer training could have gone better but once the season starts we’ll find out for sure. But we are definitely excited and hoping to do some good things."
   Any assessment of the team’s personnel has to begin with the team’s top runner, sophomore Sophia Ginez. She impressed the staff a year ago with her talent and work ethic and Rivera is hoping this could be a breakout year for her.
   "Last year I thought she was learning," he says. "This year, so far her training and workouts look fantastic. She looks really strong and really comfortable. She’s dealing with a nagging injury and we’re being cautious with that but we don’t think it will be an issue. We are really excited to see her race.
   "I think she could go to the Meet of Champions. Our hope is that she goes to the meet and competes for one of the top spots in the state. That’s one of the things you never know until you see it, but it wouldn’t shock me to see her finish in the top 15."
   While the expectations may not be as high for the rest of the individuals, it’s clear that Rivera thinks his other runners are capable of putting it together for a big season.
   Running with Ginez will be three other returning sophomores, Jennifer and Amanda Smilgis and Lindsey Sample. A quartet of seniors will also be lending their considerable experience to the cause. They include Megan Behrend, Jessica Engel, Sara MacMurray and Stephanie Rodriguez.
   Both Viking teams open at home Tuesday with meets against East Brunswick and Old Bridge.