NJSIAA Divisional Shake-Ups Bring New Rivalries

The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) is rolling out a revamped divisional classification this year, adding in a fifth grouping for high school football.

The new division will include the big boys of South Jersey athletics, larger high schools with populations three and four times that of Collingswood, including Washington Township, Vineland, Toms River North and Cherokee. The Panthers are unaffected by the re-shuffling, and will remain in Group 2.

athletic director Ron Hamrick is likewise unfazed by the changes.

"Most of the titles come from the Colonial Conference," Hamrick says, which includes schools in both Groups 1 and 2.

"You name the sport, the Colonial Conference is right there," he says. "You've got to go through our conference first, whoever comes in."

The only thing Hamrick doesn't like about the divisional format is that its playoff seeding often means that Group 1 and 2 conference rivals may play one another in the first round, which leads to early knock-outs.

The revamped Group 2 no longer includes Point Pleasant Boro, , Bridgeton and Camden, which became Group 3 schools under the new system.

Familiar foes—, , , Cinnaminson and —remain. A pair of former Group 1 teams—Cedar Creek, which opened only two years ago, and Maple Shade—are newcomers to Group 2.

Sterling and Pemberton, with 727 and 726 students for group classification purposes, were just shy of the cutoff for Group 3, which has three teams—Point Boro, Bridgeton and Barnegat—all with 12 students more in enrollment.

The full list of schools in the new Group 2, with enrollment figures:

• Buena—606
• Cedar Creek—619
• Cinnaminson—565
• Collingswood—576
• Haddonfield—547
• Lower Cape May—718
• Maple Shade—536
• Middle Twp.—636
• Overbrook—539
• Pemberton—726
• Pleasantville—612
• Sterling—727
• West Deptford—627
• Willingboro—685
• Woodstown—549

The remaining groups in South Jersey:

Group 5

• Absegami—1364
• Atlantic City—1496
• Cherokee—1792
• Cherry Hill East—1504
• Eastern—1550
• Egg Harbor—1913
• Jackson Memorial—1291
• Lenape—1449
• Millville—1424
• Rancocas Valley—1392
• Southern Regional—1496
• Toms River North—1713
• Vineland—1966
• Washington Twp.—1986
• Williamstown—1278

Group 4

• Cherry Hill West—1166
• Clearview—1193
• Hammonton—1030
• Kingsway—1034
• Lacey—1073
• Mainland—1100
• Oakcrest—976
• Seneca—971
• Shawnee—1205
• Timber Creek—1068
• Toms River East—1239
• Toms River South—1105
• Triton—1147
• Winslow Twp.—984

Group 3

• Barnegat—736
• Bridgeton—738
• Burlington Twp.—939
• Camden—816
• Central Regional—932
• Cumberland—905
• Delsea—861
• Deptford—755
• Highland—856
• Manchester Twp.—792
• Northern Burlington—884
• Ocean City—942
• Pinelands—841
• Point Pleasant Boro—733
• Woodrow Wilson—867

Group 1

• Audubon—438
• Clayton—230
• Gateway—390
• Glassboro—466
• Gloucester—465
• Haddon Hts.—487
• Haddon Twp.—453
• Lindenwold—338
• Paulsboro—293
• Penns Grove—376
• Pennsville—375
• Pitman—329
• Salem—283
• Schalick—404
• Wildwood—186
• Woodbury—353