Proposed WJFL Alignments Mean Changes For Moorestown Schedule

MOORESTOWN, NJ — The Moorestown 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, the Quakers would keep just one current divisional rival. Highland may be the only current member of the West Jersey Football League Royal Division that Moorestown would be grouped with under the new proposal. Its new opponents would include Burlington Township, Clearview, Paul VI and Winslow, according to the report.

Moorestown and Highland are currently grouped with Triton, Bishop Eustace and Woodrow Wilson in the West Jersey Football League's Royal Division.

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