Out of nowhere, Viking boys capture GMC title
By george albano
Staff Writer

Legend has it Rip Van Winkle awakened to the sound of "crashing ninepins."

But that’s nothing compared to the noise the South Brunswick High School boys’ bowling team made at this year’s Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament.

All the Vikings did was surprise the rest of the conference — and probably themselves — as they captured the 2003 GMC championship last week.

To say that what South Brunswick did was totally unexpected is like saying ol’ Rip needed a trim when he finally woke up. The Vikings were only 6-11 during the regular season and finished 11th out of the 19 teams in the conference.

Sixteen of the 19 teams went to the GMC Tournament, which began two weeks ago Tuesday. Many figured South Brunswick would be gone by the first round.

"We weren’t expecting to do anything," admitted head coach Tara Burniston.

But her Vikings proceeded to upset four straight higher-seeded teams over the next nine days en route to the crown.

"I think the key was, there really wasn’t any pressure on us. The boys were not expected to do anything in the tournament," said Burniston, who also coaches the SBHS girls’ team. "The first round of the GMC was not necessarily a big deal to them, so they just relaxed and bowled like they should. The same in the second round. They just went out there to have fun. They didn’t even lose a game until the finals."

Each team bowls six players a game with the top five scores counting and the lowest thrown out. During the regular season, the Vikings were led by senior co-captain Ross Winiarz and his 207 average, sophomore co-captain Robby Kohutanycz (191), another sophomore, Billy Orchard (183), senior Corey Weiss and junior Ben Bleacher (both 179), and freshman Grant Singer (167).

Sophomore Matt Brandt and juniors Brian Hirsh, Rahsaan Jones and Jon Schulter round out the 10-man squad.

But whether they were relaxed or just having fun, the Vikings’ top six players all stepped up their games in the GMC Tournament.

Playing a best-of-three format, South Brunswick swept sixth-seeded Bishop Ahr of Edison in the first round in two straight games behind Winiarz (222) and Kohutanycz (205, 217). Two days later, the Vikes upset No. 3 JFK in the second round, also in two games.

In fact, in the opening game, South Brunswick scored a 1,099, which would be its best game of the tournament. Winiarz again led the way with a 235, while Kohutanycz added a 222, Weiss a 216, Singer a 214 and Orchard a 212.

"When we got to the semifinals, they were even more relaxed," Burniston said. "They were more confident, too."

It showed. South Brunswick faced Carteret, the No. 10 seed and a Cinderella story in its own right, in last Monday’s semis and proceeded to sweep two more games to reach Wednesday’s GMC championship.

"It was very exciting," Burniston said. "By the time they got to the finals, they really wanted it. They knew they had the potential. They were saying, ‘Wow, we’re actually bowling like we knew we could.’ But I knew they could bowl like that all along."

Waiting for the Vikings was Edison, the No. 5 seed, which advanced to the final by beating Piscataway, which had upset No. 1 Woodbridge in the second round.

"We knew Edison was a good team, but we had split with them during the season," Burniston said. "They beat us 4-0 (winning three games and overall pins) and we beat them 4-0."

The two teams also split the first two games in the final, with South Brunswick winning the opener before finally losing its first game of the tournament.

The Vikings rolled a 1,010 in the opening game as Kohutanycz recorded a 226, Weiss had a 211, Singer a 206, and Winiarz a 194. Even though they lost the second game, the Vikings scored a 1,033 as Bleacher led the way with a 227, followed by Winiarz (219), Weiss (205) and Singer (200).

"We actually bowled better in the second game than in the first," Burniston said. "But Edison just bowled incredibly and scored a 1,094. They had two guys with 236, another with 226 and a 216.

"But our guys weren’t down. Even though they lost they knew they didn’t bowl bad. Plus, they knew they had one more game to try to win it," the coach said.

Apparently still not feeling any pressure, the Vikings bowled their second-best game of the tournament in that third and decisive contest, scoring a 1,079 to lay claim to the title. Kohutanycz had the best game of any Viking in the tourney with a 245, while Bleacher followed his 227 with a 224, Winiarz added a 214, and Orchard a 211. The result was the GMC championship.

But if that was unexpected, so was Burniston coaching both teams. Mike Dennehy was originally slated to coach the boys’ team, but when he received a supervisor’s job in the guidance department at the school, he stepped down.

When Marisol Ciccone, the girls’ coach last year, left on maternity leave, neither SBHS bowling team had a coach.

Enter Tara Burniston.

"I never coached before. This is the first time," said Burniston, who was assisted by Chris Hayston. "I bowl all the time, and when the athletic director heard that, she told me they had an opening.

"So I applied for it and got it. I really enjoyed it, too," she said.

Burniston’s girls’ team also had a successful season, going 14-4 and earning the fifth seed in the GMC Tournament. The Lady Vikings beat Piscataway and Bishop Ahr before losing to Woodbridge in the semifinals.

"The girls actually did better than the boys during the season, but they were a little disappointed that they didn’t go farther in the tournament," Burniston said. "But they made it to the semis, and I thought that was great."

The Lady Vikings were led by senior Cyndi Fregoni, who averaged a 194 and won the GMC individual championship earlier in the season. She also qualified for states, while junior Lauren Sohmer, with a 182 average, qualified for the GMC individual tourney. Senior Lisa Hanan (174), junior Lisa Nicolaison (155), freshman Mary Lynn Olsen (152) and junior Laura Smith (142) rounded out a solid lineup.

With four of the top six players on both the girls’ and boys’ teams returning next year, South Brunswick should be in for another big season. Even Burniston, who is expecting her first child in June, is planning to be back.

"Marisol (Ciccone) left last year because of maternity leave, and the year before that, the coach left because his wife was having a baby," Burniston said, laughing. "So everyone was worried I’d be leaving, too.

"But my husband (Brian, a physical education teacher at Constable Elementary School) has already said he’ll baby-sit, so I can keep coaching. He’s going to take one for the team."

Rip Van Winkle would be proud.