High School Football Classifications Released
NJSIAA incorporates the new Group V this season.
Matt Guanieri, here in Toms River East's game against Toms River South, scored on a 1-yard run for the Raiders on Friday night.
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The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association released its classifications this week for the upcoming high school football season, following the executive committee's approval to create a Group V designation in the four public school sections in May.
"This creates a greater opportunity for schools and for student-athletes," Jack DuBois, NJSIAA assistant director who is in charge of football, said following the approval. "It increases the number of teams playing in the playoffs from 128 to 160. At the same time, it eliminates 16 consolation games that schools didn't want to play anyway."
The proposal also allows teams with records under .500 to participate in the playoffs if they are needed to fill an eight-team bracket.
"We fill brackets in other sports that way, such as baseball and soccer," DuBois said.
The new groups expand the number of sectional champions in the state from 20 to 24. Here is a full list of the classifications entering the season, including the non-public schools.
North 1
| Group V | Group IV | Group III | Group II | Group I |
| Bergen Cty VT - Hackensack | Belleville | Bergenfield | Dumont | Becton, Henry P. |
| Bloomfield | Fair Lawn | Garfield | Elmwood Park | Belvidere |
| Clifton | Hackensack | High Point | Glen Rock | Bogota |
| East Orange | Montville | Indian Hills | Hawthorne | Boonton |
| Eastside (Paterson) | Mount Olive | Jefferson | Hopatcong | Butler |
| Kennedy, J.F. Paterson | Northern Highlands | Lakeland | Kinnelon | Cedar Grove |
| Livingston | Northern Valley Demarest | Mahwah | Kittatinny | Cresskill |
| Montclair | Northern Valley Old Tappan | Morris Hills | Manchester Regional | Emerson Jr-Sr (Emerson) |
| Morris Knolls | Nutley | Pascack Valley | New Milford | Hasbrouck Heights |
| North Bergen | Paramus | Ramapo | Newton | Park Ridge |
| Passaic | Passaic Valley | Ramsey | North Warren | Pompton Lakes |
| Passaic Cty VT | Roxbury | River Dell | Pascack Hills | Saddle Brook |
| Randolph | Teaneck | Sparta | Pequannock | Sussex Cty Vo-Tech |
| Ridgewood | Vernon | Tenafly | Waldwick/Midland Park | Verona |
| Union City | Wayne Hills | West Essex | Wallkill Valley | Wallington |
| West Orange | Wayne Valley | West Milford | Westwood | Wood-Ridge |
North 2
| Group V | Group IV | Group III | Group II | Group I |
| Bayonne | Barringer | Chatham | Bernards | Bound Brook |
| Bridgewater-Raritan | East Side Newark | Cliffside Park | Caldwell | Brearley, David |
| Columbia | Ferris | Cranford | Central-Newark | Dayton, Jonathan |
| Edison | Irvington | Fort Lee | Dover | Dunellen |
| Elizabeth | Kearny | Governor Livingston | Hackettstown | Glen Ridge |
| Franklin | Linden | Matawan | Hanover Park | Harrison |
| North Hunterdon | Memorial (WNY) | Palisades Park/Leonia | Lenape Valley | Hoboken |
| Perth Amboy | Millburn | Parsippany | Lincoln | Metuchen |
| Phillipsburg | Morristown | Parsippany Hills | Lodi | Middlesex |
| Piscataway | Plainfield | Raritan | Lyndhurst | New Providence |
| Ridge | Rahway | Somerville | Madison Boro | North Arlington |
| Stevens, John P. | Scotch Plains-Fanwood | South Plainfield | Morrow, Dwight | Ridgefield |
| Union | Warren Hills | Summit | Mountain Lakes | Roselle Park |
| Watchung Hills | West Morris Central | Voorhees | Orange | Secaucus |
| Westfield | West Morris Mendham | West Side | Ridgefield Park | Weehawken |
| Rutherford | Whippany Park |
Central
| Group V | Group IV | Group III | Group II | Group I |
| Brick Memorial | Brick Township | Allentown | Bordentown | Asbury Park |
| East Brunswick | Colonia | Ewing | Carteret | Burlington City |
| Freehold Township | Colts Neck | Hamilton North | Clark, Abraham | Florence |
| Hillsborough | Freehold Boro | Hamilton West | Delaware Valley | Haddon Township |
| Howell | Hamilton East | Holmdel | Delran | Highland Park |
| Hunterdon Central | Hightstown | Hopewell Valley | Hillside | Keansburg |
| Manalapan | Jackson Liberty | Lakewood | Johnson, Arthur L. | Keyport/Hudson |
| Marlboro | Kennedy, J.F. Iselin | Lawrence | Monmouth Regional | Manville |
| Monroe | Middletown North | Long Branch | North Plainfield | New Egypt |
| Montgomery | New Brunswick | Manasquan | Robbinsville | Palmyra |
| North Brunswick | Pennsauken | Middletown South | Rumson-Fair Haven | Point Pleasant Beach |
| Old Bridge | Princeton | Neptune | Shabazz, Malcolm X | Riverside |
| South Brunswick | Sayreville | Ocean Township | Snyder | Shore |
| Trenton | W Windsor-Plainsboro South | Red Bank Regional | Spotswood | South Hunterdon |
| W Windsor-Plainsboro North | Woodbridge | Wall | Weequahic | South River |
South
| Group V | Group IV | Group III | Group II | Group I |
| Absegami | Cherry Hill West | Barnegat | Buena | Audubon |
| Atlantic City | Clearview | Bridgeton | Cedar Creek | Clayton |
| Cherokee | Hammonton | Burlington Township | Cinnaminson | Gateway |
| Cherry Hill East | Kingsway | Camden | Collingswood | Glassboro |
| Eastern | Lacey | Central Regional | Haddonfield | Gloucester City |
| Egg Harbor | Mainland | Cumberland | Lower Cape May | Haddon Heights |
| Jackson Memorial | Moorestown | Delsea | Maple Shade | Lindenwold |
| Lenape | Oakcrest | Deptford | Middle Township | Paulsboro |
| Millville | Seneca | Highland Regional | Ocean City | Penns Grove |
| Rancocas Valley | Shawnee | Manchester Township | Overbrook | Pennsville |
| Southern Regional | Timber Creek | Northern Burlington | Pemberton | Pitman |
| Toms River North | Toms River East | Pinelands | Pleasantville | Salem |
| Vineland | Toms River South | Point Pleasant Boro | West Deptford | Schalick, Arthur P. |
| Washington | Triton | Sterling | Willingboro | Wildwood |
| Williamstown | Winslow Township | Wilson, Woodrow | Woodstown | Woodbury |
Non-Public
| Group IV | Group III | Group II | Group I |
| Bergen Catholic | Bishop Ahr | Bishop Eustace | Cardinal McCarrick, South Amboy |
| Don Bosco Prep | Camden Catholic | Gloucester Catholic | Hudson Catholic |
| Notre Dame 918 | Delbarton | Holy Cross | Immaculate Conception Montclair |
| Paramus Catholic 1133 | DePaul | Holy Spirit | Mater Dei |
| Paul VI 840 | Monsignor Donovan | Immaculata | Morristown Beard |
| Saint Augustine | Pope John XXIII | Marist | Newark Academy |
| St. Peter’s Prep Jersey City | Red Bank Catholic | Montclair Kimberley 326 | Queen of Peace |
| Saint Joseph’s Metuchen | Saint John Vianney | Morris Catholic | Saint Anthony |
| Seton Hall Prep | Saint Joseph Montvale | Pingry | Saint Mary’s Rutherford |
| Saint Joseph’s Hammonton |
JD
11:04 am on Monday, August 20, 2012
Absolutely ridiculous to have 5 Groups...
just so they can give out more championship trophies... and more teams in playoffs!! This is pushed by the football coaches agenda.... not all sports agree to this.
A champion of which 15 teams are a part of is ridiculous..
Now, if they had 1 Group champion.... that would be better..
A Resident
2:03 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012
May not be something new, but why is Pt Boro in South when Point Beach and both Bricks are in Central?
JD
2:38 pm on Monday, August 20, 2012
Balance the numbers...
Jackson Memorial is South... Jackson Liberty is Central.