Bears’ GMC title win reflects team’s strength
BY RICHARD JEROME
Staff Writer

After the East Brunswick High School (EBHS) boys winter track team captured the Greater Middlesex Conference (GMC) championship last weekend, coach Kevin McEvoy and his team could reflect on the historical significance of the Bears’ 60-58 victory over Old Bridge.

“We looked up at the banners in our gymnasium, and we could see that we hadn’t won a county title since 1987,” McEvoy said. “Needless to say it was a great bus ride home. And you can’t help but feel bad for Old Bridge, coming within two points. That bus ride couldn’t have been a very good one.”

Old Bridge did labor under a bit of a handicap, missing its 4x400-relay team, which was off in Philadelphia competing in the Millrose Games. But that doesn’t take away from a superb EBHS performance.

The 6-0 Bears have benefited from a core group of runners who won the GMC cross country tournament, as well as some other athletes who have stepped up, including a trio of seniors.

Jeremiah Lachaud, a football player in the fall, had finished fourth in the 100-meter dash at last spring’s GMC meet. McEvoy convinced him to run winter track, and Lachaud responded by winning the sprint last weekend. Yaw Sakyi, formerly of Sayreville, placed second in the dash and fourth in the hurdles, and Joe Fischer, who plays baseball in the spring, is also doing winter hurdling.

As far as the distance contingent is concerned, junior Eric Sorkin came away last weekend with a championship in the 3,200 meters, clocking a time of 9:52 in an extremely close, exciting race. Phil Koelher, a senior, performed beyond even his own expectations.

“He promised me he’d finish sixth,” said McEvoy. “He wound up in fourth, in a time of 10:04.”

The Bears didn’t win the mile run (won by Old Bridge’s Matt Ciambrello in 4:30.12), but scored well anyway, with senior Justin Granit placing second, in a time of 4:30.61, and another senior, Danny Gilbert, coming in third, two seconds behind him at 4:33.29. East Brunswick, did, however, capture a championship in the half-mile, as senior Yannick Wood turned in an outing of 1:59.8. His teammate, senior Adam Cesneak, contributed a fourth-place performance, hitting the finish line in 2:03.

Those were the standouts at the GMC, but the Bears have some other athletes who have been pulling their weight all season.

“Shot-putter Shawn Black has done an excellent job this year,” said McEvoy. “And in the high jump, senior Vinnie Quaglieri just missed finishing in sixth place with a jump of [5 feet 8 inches].”

Also noteworthy, senior hurdler Mike L’eureux, while also finishing out of the money, nevertheless turned in his best performance of the year in the conference meet.

East Brunswick has enjoyed its customary excellent turnout, with 50 boys coming out for the team, all of whom participate in the dual-meet schedule, though of course only the top several in each event make it to the major championship meets.

“We have seven good hurdlers, and we’re always doing time trials to see who gets to go,” said McEvoy, who is assisted this winter by Don Mandy.

Speaking of major meets, East Brunswick will send three competitors to the Meet of Champions. Granit, who won the state Group IV title in the 1,600 meters, will be joined by Lachaud in the 200 meters and Sorkin in the 3,200. The Bears will go to New York City’s 168th Street Armory on Feb. 28 to participate in the Eastern States Championship.

“We’ll try to put together a 4x800 squad that hopefully can qualify for the Penn Relays,” McEvoy said. “Then the next thing you know, in early March, we’ll be rolling right into the spring season.”