MANVILLE: MHS teams set for month of Mayhem

Plenty of action on diamond, track

by Rudy Brandl, Sports Editor
   Manville High’s spring teams haven’t even peaked yet but they’re already way ahead of last year’s schedule.
   All four MHS varsity teams have improved upon last year’s performances. The baseball and softball teams ended long winless droughts. The track and field athletes are setting new personal records just about every time they compete.
   The Mustangs are winning more often than last year and they’ve produced a great deal of excitement despite horrendous weather during the first month of the spring campaign. April is for tuning up and getting ready for prime time – the final full month on the scholastic athletic calendar.
   May is loaded with big events. County, conference and sectional titles will be at stake in just about every sport. The Mustangs hope to continue the momentum they built in April and make an impact against some great competition.
   Here’s a look at how Manville’s four varsity teams stack up for what promises to be another month of mayhem:
   Baseball – Dan Sferrazza’s team has won two games against non-conference foes this spring after enduring a winless campaign in 2008. The second-year skipper is still looking for his first Skyland Conference victory.
   The Mustangs will target Valley Division foes Bound Brook, South Hunterdon and Belvidere as their best opportunities to break through in the conference this month. They still have two games with South Hunterdon and single games vs. Bound Brook and Belvidere. Both those schools won by the mercy rule in the April meeting but Sferrazza firmly believes his team can compete with Bound Brook and Belvidere.
   Manville will host Belvidere May 4 and Bound Brook May 14. The Mustangs will be looking for payback in both games. If they can get a well-pitched game and avoid that one disastrous inning, the Mustangs will have a shot to beat some of these divisional rivals.
   Softball – Carrie Smith’s girls have played some great ball in spurts this spring. Unfortunately, the Lady Mustangs can’t seem to avoid giving up the big inning.
   They were going toe-to-toe with Ridge and Rutgers Prep before letting those games get away with a big late inning. Things like errors and walks have been costly.
   The MHS girls have improved defensively and they’re hitting the ball much better than last spring. It’s still a relatively young team that needs time to grow and mature. Under Smith’s tutelage, that should happen.
   Manville always looks forward to playing Bound Brook on the softball diamond. There have been many classic games over the years. There could be two more this month.
   The April meeting was suspended with the Crusaders holding a 4-2 lead in the fourth inning. That game will be made up sometime this month. The teams also will meet at Bound Brook on May 14.
   Smith also believes her girls can beat Belvidere, a team that defeated Manville by a 9-6 score on a rainy opening day. That rematch is set for May 5 at Belvidere.
   Boys’ Track & Field – Pat Gorbatuk’s boys won’t finish with a winning dual meet record but they hope to make some noise with individual performances at the Central Jersey Group 1 Championships at the end of the month.
   Manville will face bigger and tougher competition at the Somerset County and Skyland Conference meets earlier in the month to prepare for the sectionals. The Mustangs also hope to add a road meet at Ranney Prep and home date vs. Dunellen to their dual meet calendar.
   Senior Billy Demeter has his sights set on the school record in the triple jump and would also like to qualify for the State Group 1 meet in the long jump. The boys’ 4×400 team of Scott Alpizar, Devin Burke, Peter Hando and Matt Zangara is hoping to place in the sectionals to earn a trip to Egg Harbor. Alpizar and Zangara were on the team that qualified last spring.
   Other MHS boys to watch this month include Eddie Yakobchuk, who cleared 5-10 in the high jump in last week’s dual meet vs. North Plainfield and could be a factor in CJ 1.
   Girls’ Track & Field – Gorbatuk’s girls hope to finish the regular season with a winning record and then make a big splash at the sectionals. They entered the week with a 3-1 record and were set to battle Hackettstown and Bernards. MHS could add Ranney Prep and Dunellen to the schedule this month.
   This group of athletes has been setting new personal records almost every time they hit the track. Hurdlers Amy Evanylo and Sabrina Brozyna have been getting faster every week. Junior sprinter Courtney Brisebois is well on her way to returning to the State Group 1 Championships, where she qualified as a freshman but just missed last year. Senior Kate Harodetsky continues to improve her 1,600 times. The 4×400 team of Anh Le, Christine Pohl, Evanylo and Brozyna is primed for a return trip to the state meet after running their fastest race of the season last week.
   It should be an exciting month for the Manville girls, who are seeking to become the school’s first winning varsity team of the school year.