Proposed WJFL Alignments Mean Changes For BHPSD Football Schedule

GLOUCESTER TOWNSHIP, NJ — The Timber Creek Regional High School football team's schedule appears set to undergo a massive facelift, according to divisional alignments posted by the Courier Post. Last week, the West Jersey Football League began meeting to discuss the divisional alignment for its next two-year cycle. Administrators were studying geography, program strength and school size to determine which teams will be grouped together for the next cycle.

The proposed alignment provided to the Courier Post wasn’t final, as members had until Nov. 16 to appeal any changes. If approved, Timber Creek would face an entirely new set of division rivals, including perennial power St. Joe and 2016 NJSIAA South Jersey Group 5 Champion Millville, along with Vineland and Atlantic City.

St. Joe has won 25 state or sectional titles since 1977, according to maxpreps.com. This season, the Wildcats are 10-0 and will play in the NJSIAA Non-Public Group 2 semifinals this weekend.

Millville has a strong football history, and may be poised to capture its second straight sectional title. The Thunderbolts play Rancocas Valley in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 5 semifinals this weekend.

Of course, Timber Creek is in the middle of a championship run in its own right. Timber Creek is seeking a title in Group 3 after winning back-to-back titles in Group 4. They play Delsea in the NJSIAA South Jersey Group 3 semifinals this weekend.

Timber Creek is currently grouped with Cherry Hill East, Delsea, Clearview, Eastern and Paul VI in the West Jersey Football League's National Division.

Under the proposal, Highland and Triton would no longer be in the same division. They are both currently grouped with Moorestown, Cumberland Regional, Bishop Eustace and Woodrow Wilson in the West Jersey Football League's Royal Division.

Moorestown and Highland would remain in the same division, but would be joined by Burlington Township, Clearview, Paul VI and Winslow, according to the report. Triton and Cumberland would remain together, but would be grouped with Pennsauken, Seneca, Cherry Hill East and Cherry Hill West.

The proposal may be finalized by Thanksgiving, but schedules wouldn't come out until after the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) votes on a new playoff proposal.

As part of the "NJ United Playoff Proposal,” the regular season could be reduced by one game. Less games means teams will rely less on scheduling games outside their division.

A team in a six-team division, for example, would need to schedule just three games outside the division, as five games would be set for them automatically. Teams in five-team divisions would need to schedule four, as opposed to five.

The proposal would take the top 32 teams overall in a group, as opposed to the top eight in each section, the way it is currently handled. A new round would be added matching champions from different sections within the same group, but the regular season may have to be reduced by one game.

The West Jersey Football League consists of 94 teams divided into 16 divisions. Fourteen divisions currently have six teams, and two have five.

Pitman wasn’t included in the new proposal, as it has suspended its varsity football program.

Patch file photo