Mid-State 38 proposes merger with GMC
by WoodbridgeFootball.com / MyCentralJersey.com / NJ.com on 09/19/16
The Greater Middlesex Conference as we know it may become another
super conference, like the North Jersey Super Conference with its 115
schools or the ever-expanding West Jersey Football League, which now
encompasses the southern tier of the state and has 95 members.
The Mid-State 38 has proposed joining forces with the GMC in an effort to create an even playing field when scheduling Group I through Group V. The feelings among football coaches in the county have been mixed. Travel costs are an issue as well as the time it will take to bus from Sayreville to Phillipsburg. What about freshmen games and JV games that are held on Fridays and Mondays as schools get out at different times and then have to travel. A 3:45 p.m. start just doesn’t seem possible in some instances, and then there is the bus ride back after the game on a school night.
Here are the six proposed divisions:
Division 1A
South Brunswick, Elizabeth, Piscataway, Old Bridge, Westfield
Division 1B
Ridge, Hunterdon Central, Linden, Union, Montgomery
Division 2A
Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, Edison, Monroe, Watchung Hills
Division 2B
Franklin, New Brunswick, J.P. Stevens, Perth Amboy, North Brunswick
Division 3A
East Brunswick, Plainfield, Summit, Colonia, Phillipsburg
Division 3B
Sayreville, Immaculata, Woodbridge, St. Joseph (Met.), North Hunterdon
Division 4B
Voorhees, South Plainfield, Rahway, Governor Livingston, North Plainfield
Division 5A
Somerville, Bernards, New Providence, Delaware Valley, A.L. Johnson
Division 5B
Spotswood, Metuchen, Roselle, Bishop Ahr, Hillside
Division 6A
Dunellen, Belvidere, South Hunterdon, Roselle Park, Brearley
Division 6B
Middlesex, South River, Dayton, Bound Brook, Highland Park, Manville
I know that there are many questions to be answered by coaches, athletic directors, principals and superintendents. My recommendation is to have a summit meeting with all parties to discuss concerns, rational, costs, travel times and the direction of football in Middlesex County as well as throughout the state. No vote should be taken until these matters are spelled out clearly and that conference members are sure that there are no back door deals being made to appease a select few.
If this is headed in a statewide direction, with the dissolution of conferences as we know them, then why not revisit the Borden/Bruno plan that missed passage in 2013 by a mere 23 votes? Go back to four group classifications with two divisions of 10 teams and play for your division trophy. All schools open the same weekend with no byes, Thanksgiving can be built in but requires two regional crossovers (formerly known as consolations), play to overall Group championships as football is the only sport that does not
