---

September 14, 2005

The CAL's biggest rivalries

By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist


There were two great high school football games in Hammonton last weekend. On Friday, Hammonton High School defeated Egg Harbor Township by four points. The next day, St. Joseph edged Absegami by four.

Four teams, all strong contenders for their conference championships, in a pair of games that went down to the final possession. Good teams playing each other create rivalries.

But which are the biggest rivalries in the Cape-Atlantic League?

With a new school year starting, it seems like a good time to examine the most significant and intense meetings that happen among the CAL’s teams.

There are some schools who have natural rivals. For example, pretty much any contest in any sport between Ocean City and Mainland, Holy Spirit and Atlantic City, Hammonton and St. Joe or Vineland and Sacred Heart. It would also be easy to pick each of the Thanksgiving Day rivalries, football games that are filled with tradition.

But lets try to spread things around and count down the top dozen rivalries. Some have been around a long time, others are rather new.

First, some honorable mentions. Mainland and Holy Spirit do not play football any more. They can’t. The National Conference schools can only play one non-conference game and Spirit uses that to play Atlantic City on Thanksgiving. But there is a good chance that Hammonton will move up to the American Conference in football next year, giving National Conference schools the chance to play two non-conference games. That would allow the Spirit-Mainland football series to resume. And it would certainly become one of the CAL's top rivalries.

So would basketball games between Wildwood Catholic and Wildwood. But, with the Warriors riding the bus to the Tri-County Conference these days, those games no longer qualify.

No. 12: OCEAN CITY-HOLY SPIRIT GIRLS SOCCER. These two programs have produced champions and continue to battle each other in a fast-building rivalry. Recently they split two games, a regular season game and CAL playoff game.

No. 11: MAINLAND-OCEAN CITY BOYS CROSS COUNTRY. In recent years, nobody has been beating Mainland over hills and dales. And Ocean City has been beating almost everybody else, winning its first South Jersey title last year. But the Raiders just can’t get past their rivals.

No. 10: MIDDLE TOWNSHIP-ST. AUGUSTINE BOYS BASKETBALL. By the time they meet again, coaches Paul Rodio and Tom Feraco should be one-two in all-time CAL wins. These programs have produced top college players and loads of excitement on the court, though The Prep has won most of the meetings.

No. 9: WILDWOOD CATHOLIC-ST. AUGUSTINE BOYS SOCCER. They are almost always the division champions in the National Conference so their meeting is of special importance, sending the winner out against the American Conference champion.

No. 8: OCEAN CITY-MILLVILLE FIELD HOCKEY. The Raiders have won five state titles in the last eight years but they always have tough games with the Thunderbolts. One of the two generally represents the American Conference in the CAL playoff.

No. 7: ABSEGAMI-HOLY SPIRIT GIRLS BASKETBALL. The two premier programs in the CAL now and consistently two of the top 10 in South Jersey, they usually meet for the CAL championship. Maybe they’ll soon also meet in the NJSIAA Tournament of Champions.

No. 6: HOLY SPIRIT-MAINLAND SWIMMING. Whether they are in the same conference or not, whether its boys, girls or coed competition, the Mustangs and Spartans have had some wars in the pool.

No. 5: ABSEGAMI-OAKCREST WRESTLING. Gami has one of the best programs in the state and rarely loses in the CAL. But Oakcrest wins its division almost as frequently and their showdown match draws enthusiastic overflow crowds.

No. 4: ATLANTIC CITY-ST. AUGUSTINE BOYS BASKETBALL. When they play, a championship is usually at stake. They have met for the league championship eight of the last 10 years. And each has won a state title over the last two seasons.

No. 3: ST. AUGUSTINE-MAINLAND GOLF. It doesn’t draw big crowds but these two programs have produced some of South Jersey’s best golf over the last five or six years, especially in their head-to-head meetings.

No. 2: PLEASANTVILLE-ATLANTIC CITY BOYS BASKETBALL. Probably the greatest atmosphere of any CAL sports event, this game has become the traditional closing game of the Battle by the Bay. More memorable moments have come from this game than any other.

No. 1: HAMMONTON-ST. JOSEPH FOOTBALL. This game is so significant that some of us have started calling the National Conference the “Day after Thanksgiving Conference”, since this game on that night almost always decides the conference championship.

What do you think?



Read more of Tom Williams' columns