October 13, 2004
Halfway to NJSIAA football deadline
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
The deadline to qualify for the NJSIAA football playoffs is still four weeks away but you can already see
there will be some very important games coming up.
Hammonton and Holy Spirit are pretty well set and can focus on their conference race. And St. Joe – well,
they’ll be there, too. Atlantic City looks good right now but Group 4 is so competitive that the Vikings still
have work to do. Besides, the Vikings have missed the playoffs by narrow margins in the past.
Absegami, Millville, Egg Harbor Township and Vineland are in the running in Group 4 and Ocean City is
still alive in Group 3. This year, Group 3 is so strange that the Raiders could finish among the top eight in
rating points but not get the required four victories.
Middle Township is trying to reach the playoffs for just the second time and seems to be in a good position.
Bridgeton is in the running, though Friday night’s game with Buena will go a long way for both teams.
The playoff system changed high school football in New Jersey when it began 30 years ago. It created
excitement in the eighth weekend of the season, the deadline to qualify, as well as the excitement of the
playoff games themselves.
But this year, for CAL teams, the four weeks leading up to the deadline will be pretty exciting, as well.
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The New Jersey Athletic Conference has felt an impact from the Cape-Atlantic League this week.
The Defensive Football Player of the Week was senior John Sher, a safety for The College of New Jersey
out of Holy Spirit. He made five solo tackles and got his third interception of the season in a win over
William Paterson. And Ryan Staton, Kean defensive back out of Oakcrest, was the NJAC Defensive
Rookie of the Week. Staton made nine tackles, intercepted a pass and broke up three others in a win over
Montclair State.
But that’s not all.
TCNJ’s Allison Greene, a sophomore midfielder from Hammonton, was Offensive Player of the Week in
field hockey largely because of two goals and an assist in a win over Richard Stockton College. And
sophomore Victoria Rosenfield from Mainland was Women’s Tennis Player of the Week for Phil
Birnbaum’s Stockton team. She had two singles wins and two doubles wins during the week.
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There is a rumor going around that the Phillies didn’t make the baseball playoffs.
But there they are – Scott Rolen, Johnny Estrada, Curt Schilling, J.D. Drew, Mike Timlin, Paul Byrd,
Carlos Silva – even Terry Francona.
There must be some mistake.
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