April 21, 2010
Different look for CAL in 2010-11
By TOM WILLIAMS
Sports Columnist
Last week we looked at what the budget cuts made by Governor Christie might
mean to sports programs within the Cape-Atlantic League. On Tuesday, after
this was written, voters made their decisions about the area school budgets,
determining whether the proposals will move forward as determined by school
boards or if more cuts might be forthcoming.
But the CAL would look different next year even without the governor's radical
and harmful cuts.
You might already know about the changes in football. Instead of two conferences
there will be three. Conference One (they are still unnamed) will include Absegami,
Atlantic City, Egg Harbor Township, Millville, St. Augustine and Vineland. Conference
Two is Hammonton, Holy Spirit, Mainland, Oakcrest and Ocean City. Conference
Three is Bridgeton, Buena, Lower Cape May, Middle Township, Pleasantville and
St. Joseph.
Almost every CAL football program will be hurt by this schedule in its NJSIAA
power rating. But the changes were primarily made for two reasons - to help the
schools fill out their schedule and to placate the National Conference public
schools who complained about the dominance of the non-public schools.
The league succeeded in helping to fill schedules, which is important because
so many other leagues and conferences have no non-league games available. But
by moving each of the three non-public schools into separate conferences they
have actually created a situation where all three championships could be won by
non-public schools, shutting out the complaining public schools completely.
But that is old news.
Next year, Lower Cape May will move from the National Conference up to the
American Conference in basketball. The girls are moving up because Cedar Creek
will play varsity girls basketball next year and the boys are moving up
because...well, because the girls are.
That would put 11 boys basketball teams in the American Conference and nine in
the National. Some would have you believe that if Lower Cape May's teams were
in different conferences, as the CAL constitution actually requires, it would
cause a scheduling nightmare. Not so. Whomever St. Augustine plays, the Lower
girls would play. Whomever Our Lady of Mercy plays, the Lower boys would play.
It might take a little communication, but it would be better than forcing all
the American Conference teams to play 20 conference games while those in the
National play just 16.
Besides, Lower Cape May will lose money on the deal. They will not have home games
with Middle Township, Wildwood Catholic and Cape May Tech - all regional rivals
who draw good crowds. And they will have to travel to Hammonton, Vineland,
Millville, Atlantic City, Mays Landing, Galloway Township and Richland - far
more travel than they would face in the National Conference, where they belong.
Cedar Creek, however, may make the last two paragraphs meaningless. Currently,
Cedar Creek plans to compete in the National Conference next year in golf, wrestling,
boys and girls tennis, boys and girls track and girls basketball. In addition to
Tim Watson, the former Mainland star and NFL player who was named football coach,
four other head coaches have been hired at Cedar Creek.
Oakcrest field hockey coach Linda Brennan is the new Cedar Creek field hockey coach;
Megan Hallman, who played at Paul VI and Stockton, will coach girls soccer;
Oakcrest assistant Shawn Cohen will coach boys soccer; and Nicole Rose is the
girls tennis coach. Cedar Creek expects to approve coaches for winter and spring
sports next month.
But, next week, at the monthly meeting of CAL athletics directors, Cedar Creek might
expand its participation. There is a possibility that the new school might decide
to play varsity sports during 2010-11 in everything except football. If that happens,
of course, the Pirates will become the 10th National Conference team in boys basketball,
creating a legitimate, if unequal, balance.
Cedar Creek apparently decided to include girls basketball but not boys basketball
because the sport is less physical for girls and younger players (Cedar Creek will
have only freshmen and sophomores) and they will have a better chance to compete.
The same could be said for soccer, though the school plans to include both boys
and girls teams in that sport.
Lets hope that Cedar Creek does join the CAL at the varsity level next year in all
sports but football. And lets hope the league returns to its old basketball schedule
format where each team plays the teams in its division twice and teams in the opposite
division once. It would allow teams that want to compete at a high level outside the
league to do so. And it would allow those that want to play a second game
against the other division to play it as a non-conference game. Or they could choose
to just play less games and save money.
Read more of
Tom Williams' columns