Mustangs expect more victories
by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
Better things are ahead in October.
That’s the spirit Manville High’s athletic teams must have as the busiest month of the fall campaign begins this week. Manville’s five varsity teams have combined for just two victories in September, but there have been many, many close games that have gone the other way.
Scholastic athletes and teams prepare for the fall season during August and get warmed up in September, but October is the month with the most action.
Although many championships won’t be decided until the fall campaign’s final month in November, there are more events in October. It’s by far the busiest month of the fall scholastic season. The list of October contests is not limited to regular season action. There are many championship events, not to mention the many division titles that will be up for grabs this month.
Here’s a team-by-team look at what lies ahead for the Mustangs in October:
Football The Mustangs (1-2) are off to the same start as last year, but could very easily be 2-1 if they didn’t blow an early lead in the opener at Newark Central.
Turnovers helped Dayton beat Manville in Week 2 but the Mustangs did a nice job rebounding on Parents Night last Friday. The offense woke up and Manville erupted for 39 points to shut out St. Joseph’s of the Palisades.
Veteran head coach Brett Stibitz has a young team with just four seniors and knows it will take time. He’ll continue to learn more and more about his team in the heat of battle during a busy October stretch of games.
The Mustangs continue their four-week homestand with games vs. Bernards (Oct. 3) and Belvidere (Oct. 10) before hitting the road against a tough Dunellen squad on Oct. 18. They return home for a Friday night home game vs. South Hunterdon and finish the month with a bye on Halloween night.
Quarterback Brendan Nurnberger and running back Angelo Bell combined for five touchdowns in last Friday night’s romp. That victory should give the Mustangs confidence and momentum heading into October’s crucial stretch of games.
Boys’ Soccer The MHS boys are 0-4, but it’s a much better 0-4 than last year when they weren’t very competitive. This season, they’re scoring goals and playing close games. Head coach Tim Moore remains confident a victory will come soon.
Manville has scored first in two of its first four games, the opener vs. Bound Brook and in last Thursday night’s 2-1 loss to Hackettstown on Senior Night.
The team has been hurt by injuries to key players. Senior playmaker Dawid Brozyna should be back by the middle of October, when the team will be looking to finish strong.
MHS also will compete in the Somerset County Tournament beginning Oct. 4. Other dates to mark include Oct. 6 vs. Somerset Vo-Tech at home, Oct. 14 at Bound Brook and Oct. 23 home vs. Belvidere. The Mustangs may not make the state playoffs, but they certainly expect to finish the season with a better record than last year.
Girls’ Soccer Although the Lady Mustangs dropped their first four games, there’s reason for hope in October. The Manville girls have not been shut out and have scored seven goals in their first four games.
Last week’s 3-2 overtime loss to Belvidere was a tough one. The Lady Mustangs certainly will have Oct. 23 circled on their calendars. That’s when they’ll make the long trip to Belvidere for the second regular season meeting with revenge on their minds.
Head coach Erin Delaney’s team will also look forward to two games vs. neighboring rival Bound Brook on back-to-back days this month. The season opener was rained out and will be made up Oct. 13 under the lights in Bound Brook The Lady Mustangs will then host Bound Brook Oct. 14.
MHS also looks forward to an Oct. 9 date in Dunellen against a team it defeated last season. Junior Amy Evanylo has been leading the offense early in the season.
Boys’ Cross Country The Mustangs (1-4) posted the school’s first victory of the year with a forfeit triumph over Bound Brook last week.
Head coach Jim O’Connor likes the youth and depth of this year’s team. Three sophomores led the MHS boys in last week’s tri-meet with Bound Brook and North Plainfield. MHS recorded a victory with its top runner, junior Eddie Yakobchuk, sitting out with an injury.
The Manville boys should have 10 runners on the starting line by the middle of October. Those numbers, especially with only one senior among the bunch, bode well for the future.
Manville will run three regular season meets on Wednesdays in October before gearing up for the championship meets. The Somerset County (Oct. 24) and Skyland Conference (Oct. 30) meets will be held at Pleasant Valley Park in Bernards.
Girls’ Cross Country The MHS girls have five runners and all must remain healthy for them to compete as a team in any dual meet or championship event. Manville managed to get all five girls on the line for one of two September meets.
O’Connor is hopeful that his girls can avoid injury and make it through the season. They’ve made good progress in the early part of the campaign and he’d like to see them experience the bigger meets later in the month.
Senior Kate Harodetsky has been the leader of the pack. She and her teammates will run three October regular season meets before the county and conference events. Those two meets at Pleasant Valley are the final tune-ups for the NJSIAA events in November.

