South Brunswick Football's Balanced Team Hard to Topple

Following his team's 27-0 win over Edison at home on Sept. 23, South Brunswick High School football Coach Rick Mantz noted his team now had a "two-week period to recharge the batteries and get healthy."

While its always nice to nurse injuries and play with a completely healthy team, Mantz had already done a pretty good job of making sure no one's battery was running out of juice.

South Brunswick is 3-0 and quickly becoming one of the best teams in the state. If you look at the top individual statistics among the state players, however, you will see few -- if any -- South Brunswick players.

This has nothing to do with talent. Well, that isn't quite true. The talent and depth South Brunswick has on its own roster limits the need Mantz has to overuse any of his players.

"We have a lot of guys that can play here," noted running back Darrell Harper. "When you get your opportunity, you just try and make the most of it. When I'm called for a play, I give it my all."

About the only place you'll see limited involvement is in receiving. TJ Taylor and Harper are the only players that have caught a pass this year. That's because South Brunswick has not thrown much. Both Taylor and Harper have just three catches.

The six completions are aplit among quarterbacks Dan Gorzynski and TJ Perkowski. Gorzynski has completed four passes for 116 yards and a TD. Perkowski has completed two passes for 48 yards and a TD.

The passes have usually been met with wide open receivers. This is because South Brunswick has worked so hard to establish a running game.

Dahrae Ford is the only South Brunswick runner to average over 10 carries a game. He has run the ball 32 times for 214 yards.

In total, South Brunswick has gotten positive yards from 10 different runners, including Harper, , Perkowski, Gorzynski, Dion Hooper, Azim Blakely, Davon Porter, Isnard Mir-Merced and David Flanders.

"We knew from day one that we needed multiple weapons to be successful," Mantz said. "We need to be balanced."

That goes for the defense as well. Actually, it may be even more important on defense as an opposing team could attack what it views as a weak link. Through the first three games -- 14-7 over Sayreville, 28-7 over Piscataway and 27-0 over Edison -- that weakness just hasn't been there.

Thus far this season, South Brunswick has gotten sacks from Mir-Merced, Joe Pietrefesa, Hooper, Alex Bercuta, Jake Pietrefsa, Rashaan Baker and Lamar Gaines. In total, the team has had tackles by 19 different players. In addition to those listed above, Taylor, Harper, Tyree, Bryan Stonkus, Flanders, Bob Spilatore, Jesse Trainow, Blakely, Brian Lee, Lamar Gaines, Chris Molnar, Ford and Ken Drost have also brought an opposing player to the ground to end a play.

And with each contribution, South Brunswick got a little better. It even got good enough to take down a pair of state ranked teams and establish itself as one in the process.

That's why South Brunswick will take a healthy, well rested and very talented 3-0 team to Woodbridge on Oct. 9 at 1 p.m.