Whenever realignments take place in high school sports, be it divisions, conferences or groups, there is bound to be some controversy. Some like it, some don’t, and some just take it as it comes figuring there is nothing that can be done.
A point in general is the recent West Jersey Football League’s division re-shuffling. The two Hamilton Township schools that it affected the most—Nottingham and Steinert—are content with the way things went. At the other end of the spectrum is Hopewell Valley Central, which so strongly disagreed with its switch that it filed (and lost) an appeal with the WJFL. The Bulldogs were one of 11 teams to file such an appeal.
After three outstanding years that included a 2013 CJ III title, Hopewell has been moved from the Patriot Division, which included Burlington Township, Ewing, Northern Burlington, Willingboro and Lawrence, to the newly formed Capitol Division that includes Burlington Township, Lenape, Notre Dame, Rancocas Valley and Trenton.
The Bulldogs are more or less inheriting the schedule played by Nottingham, which was in a Colonial Division that featured Lenape, Notre Dame, Rancocas Valley, Allentown and Trenton. The Northstars dropped to the Valley Division, which includes Hamilton West, Hightstown, Ewing, Lawrence and West Windsor-Plainsboro South.
The newcomers in the Valley, which went from five to six teams, are Ewing, Lawrence and the Northstars. WW-P North and Steinert departed that division for a Patriot schedule that includes Allentown, Princeton, Northern Burlington and Pemberton.
It came down to Hamilton or Steinert being moved up and it was decided on by a fourth tie-breaker of Steinert defeating a Group III team while Hamilton beat a Group II squad.
“I’m happy with it, it’s where we belong,” Steinert Athletic Director Steve Gazdek said. “If you take the formula we’re using, which is enrollment and strength of schedule, what we’ve done the past two years our winning percentage put us in that division, that’s what we signed up for. We’re OK with it, the whole alignment did what it set up to do.”
And what was it set up to do?
“We were struggling, some other teams were struggling, we put them in the division where they could compete and they got better,” Gazdek said. “They got confident and you move up by the success. That’s the way it works. That’s the formula we used.”
It worked the opposite way for Nottingham, which suffered heavy graduation losses two years after winning the 2012 CJ III title. But because of their success, the Northstars had to move up due to the set up and suffered some tough seasons the past two years. They also went up and down from Group III to Group IV a few times.
On one hand, Nottingham coach Jon Adams defends the West Jersey Football League because it helps when the postseason comes around.
“The WJFL is the best thing to happen to this part of the state’s football programs,” Adams said. “The day they go back to the CVC-only schedule is the day I resign as head football coach at Nottingham High School.”
That being said, Adams doesn’t mind a strong schedule, but was not happy when his team, which has gotten younger and younger over the past two years, had to play a slew of Group IV and Group V schools.
“Listen as long as there is equity I am all in,” Adams said. “But do not load up one team’s schedule and give allowances to another. Group V’s should play predominantly Group V’s, with a smattering of fours, and one or two threes. And so on down the line. I never want to play a two or a one because it hurts us with power points. Especially since we may be a Group IV again.”
There is a “but” on the way.
“Hey, you are always going to have some really strong teams on your schedule, but when it is week in and week out, that can take a toll on your program,” Adams said, referring to the past two seasons. “There has to be equity. The way we see it, it does not exist.”
Hopewell Valley coach Dave Caldwell agreed with that. He has inherited a schedule similar to what Nottingham played, where the Group III Bulldogs are playing several Group V and IV schools. HoVal and Delsea are the lone Group III’s in the league playing two groups up, but not in the eyes of the WJFL, which lumps Group IV and V teams together.
While Steinert coach Dan Caruso would like to see a more permanent set-up in order to establish traditions and rivalries, Caldwell doesn’t mind re-alignment. But, like Adams, he wants it to be a little more fair.
“We’ve gone through a run where we had some great players, but I don’t think you punish teams for being successful,” Caldwell said. “What you do is, group them all according to their group. Use current numbers, put all Group III’s together in one division. Then, if you have five divisional games against opponents who are all Group III, you can play a Group IV school or two in your crossover games.”
While many other coaches feel that way, too, Caldwell said they are not part of the decision-making.
“I think they need to take into consideration the coaches’ point of view, which they don’t currently do,” he said. “At times you look at team’s previous record the previous two years. My JV does not indicate how well my varsity’s been going. I had great JV teams for years and that didn’t indicate what the varsity did. The same thing with my freshman team.”
The reason? The numbers from freshman and JV squads dwindle by the time the players mature to varsity age.
“Just because I had 32 kids on my freshman team, by the time attrition happens that may be down to 15 when they get to varsity, after they discover what their passions are and how they feel about playing football,” Caldwell said. “The WJFL has to go back to common sense. They’ve taken the common sense out of it.”
Hopewell was so dismayed by the re-alignment that it appealed, but to no avail. The WJFL voted down the appeal 16-0. Superintendent Tom Smith wrote an appeal letter to the NJSIAA, but the state governing body does not get involved with conference or divisional alignments, according to HVCHS Athletic Director Tripp Becker.
Smith’s appeal was based on safety issues, saying it “is not a superficial concern to remain competitive. Rather, it is a request to protect our students. It is inconceivable why we should be placed in a division that competes against schools that are twice our size, with twice as many students to pull from.”
Becker also wrote a letter, and echoed Smith’s feelings in a recent conversation.
“We are not happy about it and are concerned for the safety of our players…but I don’t think there is much more that we can do,” Becker said. “The major issue is that our Group III football team is going to be playing against Group V teams. The WJFL does not recognize Group IV football teams, but the NJSIAA does.”
Becker noted that Allentown, a choice school that was also in that Bulldogs’ division before being moved, got crushed by Lenape and Rancocas Valley while beating Hopewell by double digits the past two years.
“Not sure how we are expected to do much better against them when we can’t beat Allentown,” Becker said. “Again, we are just concerned with the safety of our players having to play these big schools that have 90 in their programs and have kids that play one way and are rested, while our kids have to play both ways and will get worn down.”
One of Caruso’s biggest concerns is maintaining the Hamilton Township round-robin with Hamilton and Nottingham, which culminates in the winner receiving the Joe Logue Trophy. It is those kind of decisions that shape his thinking.
“I’m never going to shy away from playing anybody so I don’t mind being in the division we’re in, as long as we can keep the rivalries going,” said Caruso, whose team is coming off a playoff year. “My personal belief is the divisions should be set up more permanently, with Steinert, Hamilton, Nottingham, Allentown, Hightstown; something like that, and keep it permanent.”
Everything is cyclical, he added.
“There are years we’re up and years we’re down,” Caruso said. “Nottingham had their years of being up, they got thrown into a huge division and now they are down and they bump back down. But they’re going to come back up. I understand why they do it for the fairness of competition and I’m OK with it. But I think they should look maybe into a more permanent solution with more permanent divisions.”
Caruso brought up the point that his team can not even defend the Valley Division title it won last fall; much like Nottingham was unable to defend its CJ III crown after immediately being moved to CJ IV in 2013.
With a more permanent alignment, though, Caruso said teams will gain more familiarity with their opponents. He continued to stress the importance of tradition.
“You could say, ‘We’re five time Valley division champ’ or something like that,” he said. “Now one year we’re in the Valley, next we’re in the Patriot. Again, I understand why we’re doing it, so tell me who to play and we’ll go play.”
And with Hamilton Township housing three of the few area teams without lights, Caruso added with a laugh, “my only stipulation is you schedule all my away games as night games.”
Adams continually came back to the fact that strong competition must be upheld during the season in order to succeed in the playoffs. However, competition that is too strong could keep a team out of the playoffs completely.
“We do not win our state title in 2012 with a CVC schedule,” Adams said. “Before the WJFL came into existence, what was our record against the Shore [Conference]? Freaking embarrassing! However, there has to be a fine line. As we found out with a very young squad, it is tough to do that every week.”
Caldwell understands that, and pointed out that coaches and players have been put in some tough situations playing much larger schools. That, however, will not alter how he and his staff prepare for the 2016 season.
“You look at schools who played those teams, they’re able to compete for a few quarters, but look back and see how those games turned out,” he said. “Will it be more challenging? Definitely, when you’re playing Group V and IV schools week in and week out. Will we be up for the challenge? Of course we’ll be. We will continue to teach proper technique and prepare our kids week in and week out.”
