Practice has made perfect through first three games

By Ken Weingartner, Sports Writer
   It’s common for coaches to remind their players they play the way they practice.
   For the South Brunswick High football team, good practices have led to good plays. The Vikings are 3-0 for the first time since 2001, thanks in part to the emphasis placed on preparation.
   ”We have to practice at a high level of intensity; we have to do thing full speed,” said South Brunswick coach Rick Mantz, likening the work to that of a racecar driver. “Jeff Gordon can’t practice 60 mph all week and expect to go 200 mph on Sunday.”
   The Vikings have put the pedal to the metal so far this year. They’ve outscored their three opponents 83-26 and, remarkably, scored a defensive touchdown in each contest. James Kugel fell on a fumble in the end zone for a TD in last week’s 28-7 victory over Old Bridge; Jimmy Mikedes and Devin Young returned fumbles for scores the previous weeks.
   ”We’ve drilled scoop-and-score drills, interception return drills, and it’s nice to see on film when (the defense gets the ball) everyone turns around and becomes offensive players and blocks someone,” Mantz said. “We don’t do a lot of live tackling and a lot of live banging because we’ve got a lot of kids going both ways, but we do enough high intensity drills during the week to simulate some of those things on game day. It’s coming to fruition and the kids are making plays.
   ”The kids are listening and learning and giving us great effort on defense. Defense is about effort. They’ve done a great job pinning opponents down and giving our offense a chance to score. P.J. Jankowitz, our defensive coordinator, has done a great job. Our tackling has been outstanding. The kids have been where they’re supposed to be and they’ve tackled and made plays.”
   Last week, the Vikings limited Old Bridge to 117 yards until the Knights scored on their final drive.
   Offensively, Tim Doehler (4-for-5, 87 yards) tossed a touchdown pass to Dan Acevedo – who has seen three of his four receptions this season turn into TDs – while Justin McClendon ran for 70 yards and a score. Cody Shelcusky also rushed for a touchdown, which was set up by Mikedes’ 35-yard interception return.
   ”We’ve put some drives together and a lot of guys are touching the ball,” Mantz said. “We’re trying to spread it around, trying to pace ourselves. We’re trying to anticipate playing 11 or 12 games in a season and we play in a physical league. We have to make sure a lot of guys are ready to play.”
   Friday night, the Vikings host East Brunswick at 7. The Bears (1-1) opened the season with a loss to Sayreville and won last week, 28-14, over North Bergen.
   ”I like to think we do a good job reminding the kids – and I think the kids have gotten to the point now where they know themselves – that we still have work to do,” Mantz said. “They’re appreciative of the things that have come our way and I don’t think anyone is going to get too big of a head here. They know East Brunswick is a challenge and we’ve got our work cut out.”
   Work that begins in practice.