High School Football: Conference Changes Set Up New Rivalries Friday, September 6, 2002 By Gary Steiner SJSports Staff Writer Here we are a week away from the start of the high school football season, so it's time to check out the schedule. Let's see, Moorestown at Camden Catholic? Overbrook at Kingsway? Riverside at McCorristin? Bishop Eustace at Cinnaminson? This opening weekend has some interesting new match-ups as a result of several conference realignments. Let's take a look at what happened. The biggest change comes from the merger of the Burlington County League and the Olympic Conference for football. This creates a whole new set of five divisions with match-ups between teams who have never played each other before or have only seen each other in the playoffs. Also, McCorristin Catholic, a Parochial Group 1 school from Mercer County has joined the conference. Olympic Conference American Freedom Liberty National Patriot Cherokee Cherry Hill East Eastern Lenape Pennsauken Rancocas Valley Shawnee Washington Twp. Winslow Twp. Bordentown Burlington City Florence Maple Shade McCorristin New Egypt Palmyra Riverside Holy Cross Moorestown Northern Burlington Paul VI Timber Creek Woodrow Wilson Camden Cherry Hill West Pemberton Triton Willingboro Bishop Eustace Camden Catholic Burlington Twp. Cinnaminson Delran Overbrook and Highland have moved from the Olympic Conference to the Tri-County Conference. Also, Wildwood left the Cape-Atlantic League to join the Tri-County to allow it to play more smaller schools like itself. These moves caused a realignment of that league into three divisions, the larger Royal division with the two small school Classic A and B. Tri-County Conference Royal Classic A Classic B Clearview Cumberland Delsea Deptford Gloucester Catholic Highland Kingsway Overbrook Williamstown Pennsville Penns Grove Pitamn Salem Woodstown Clayton Glassboro Gloucester City Schalick Wildwood In the Colonial Conference, Gateway has moved to the smaller Patriot Division and Haddon Twp. to the large school Liberty Division due to enrollment and scheduling issues. This continues the two division format that was created last season for football. Colonial Conference Liberty Patriot Audubon Collingswood Haddonfield Haddon Twp. Sterling West Deptford Gateway Haddon Heights Lindenwold Paulsboro Woodbury Due to the loss of Wildwood, as well as enrollment adjustments, the Cape-Atlantic League also made some changes, with Lower Cape May moving to the smaller school National Division. Cape-Atlantic League American National Absegami Atlantic City Egg Harbor Twp. Mainland Millville Oakcrest Ocean City Vineland Bridgeton Buena Hammonton Holy Spirit Lower Cape May Middle Twp. Pleasantville St. Augustine St. Joseph The conference changes caused some changes in the annual Thanksgiving match-ups as well. The classic Gloucester City vs. Gloucester Catholic game will be played on Thanksgiving Day this year. Some new turkey day matches include Highland vs. Deptford, Wildwood vs. Glassboro, Pemberton vs. Rancocas Valley, and Timber Creek vs. Triton.

©2002 South Jersey Sports Online