Mid-State 38 Football Conference Executive Committee Nick Serritella - Retired VP Watchung - Mid-State 38 Chairperson Carl Weigner Skyland Conference President Bob Hopek Skyland Conference Secretary Union County Conference: Skyland Conference: Gus Kalikas AD, Arthur L Johnson HS Scott Miller AD, David Brearley HS Ryan Miller AD, Scotch Plains Fanwood HS Lance Jacobs AD, Dayton HS Ann Clifton AD, Governor Livingston HS John Deutsch AD, North Hunterdon HS Tom Fisher AD, Phillipsburg HS John Maggio AD, Bridgewater Raritan HS Steve Venuto AD, Manville HS Rich Shello AD, Ridge HS January 25, 2018 All Mid-State 38 members, MINUTES OF THE January 25, 2018 MID STATE 38 CONFERENCE FOOTBALL EXECUTIVE MEETING at Bridgewater-Raritan Wade Building 9:00AM Chairman Serritella opened the meeting by thanking everyone for attending this meeting to review the Mid-State 38 and GMC updates. Scott Miller reviewed the history of the GMC-Mid-State 38 merge. Approximately 11 schools are asking for relief sooner than later. The current Football schedule is a one-year Co-Op schedule only and was officially approved on January 5, 2018 for the Fall 2018. You can confirm these games. See attachments. A long discussion by all attendees discussing enrollment based divisions and schools, having to adhere to this philosophy to ensure fairness for all schools and reviewing all GMC and Mid-State 38 school concerns. The Committee reviewed By-Laws possible changes and possible Committee members and roles. Jeff DiCocco, Edison AD Elaine McGrath, South Brunswick AD and Carl Buffalino, South River, AD had GMC concerns that will be reviewed in a February meeting such as GMC identity, struggling schools in a tough division, etc. The benefit of the merge would be for 61 schools and to ensure a schedule. A vote will be done in March to confirm a merge GMC-Mid-State 38. The vote will be majority per Conference and not overall. The Mid-State 38 will be called 38 due to legal reasons until a possible merge happens and then the name will change. A brief review of the NJSIAA Football Committee notes for January 24, 2018. The meeting ended well. Below are the notes from the NJSIAA Vote on December, 4, 2017 for your review: New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) member schools voted on December 4, 2017 to allow high school football teams to schedule 10 Issued: 1-25-18 1
regular-season games, a maneuver that is expected to lead to the revision of the current football playoff format and the manner in which postseason qualifiers are determined. NJSIAA membership voted 218-79 with 12 abstentions at the statewide athletic association's Robbinsville headquarters in favor of allowing teams to play 10 regular-season games, opening the door for the NJSIAA's Football Committee to implement changes to the current postseason structure. Those proposed playoff changes, which have been shared with member schools, are expected to be placed before the NJSIAA's Executive Committee in April for approval and, pending that approval, could take effect next season. The playoff proposal, called the New Jersey United Playoff Proposal, is the result of a collaborative effort of a coalition of six athletic directors from Central Jersey high schools and members of the North Jersey Super Football Conference. The football committees may tweak some elements of the playoff proposal, including a proposed revamp of the current power points system, but all indications are that 12/4/17 membership vote will change New Jersey's high school football landscape. The playoff proposal extends the postseason beyond sectional championships but stops short of playing to a true state champion because Article IX of the NJSIAA s constitution states that no group champions shall be declared in football. Until that language of the constitution is altered, New Jersey will remain the only state in the country whose season does not conclude with true state champions. Key elements of the proposed changes that could be coming to high school football beginning next season include: Twenty public school sectional champions in five Groups (Groups I through V) of four sections (North 1, North 2, Central, South) will still be crowned, but the manner in which teams are currently selected for the postseason will be dramatically altered. Additional playoff rounds, known as "Bowl Championships," will be contested beyond the public school sectional finals the week after Thanksgiving week. Teams will have an option to play an eight-game, a nine-game or a 10-game regular-season schedule. Up to 12 non-public schools in each section will now be eligible to qualify for the postseason. Ways to improve the current power points system will be explored. The playoffs will commence in Week 9 and the sectional finals will be contested in Week 11. Issued: 1-25-18 2
The Following is a complete breakdown of the proposed changes, according to Colonia High School Athletic Director Ben LaSala, one of the proposal's authors. The breakdown includes a look at the revised football calendar, seeding, scheduling and revisions for playoff formats. Seeding: All games to the state cutoff will count toward seeding. Using geographic boundaries, the NJSIAA will cut the state in half and seed the top 16 power point earners in the Northern half and the top 16 power-point earners in the Southern half, creating four sections with eight playoff teams in each. The Northern Top 16 will create North 1 and North 2. The Southern Top 16 will create Central and South. The division line separating the two halves of the state for each group will be determined by geographic boundaries. Public School Playoff Format Five Groups with four sections (North I, North II, Central and South). Following the establishment of the top 32 power-point earners (16 and 16) within each of the five groups, geographic boundaries will be used to create the four sections. Each section will then be seeded based upon 2018 power-point totals. Weeks 9 through 11 will mimic the current playoff format with one change: Sectional finals will be played at neutral sites in Week 11 (prior to Thanksgiving). Twenty sectional champions will be crowned, and the four winners in each of the five groups will be paired for "Bowl Championships." Non-Public School Playoff Format Up to 12 teams will qualify in all groups. The top six seeds in Group III and Group IV will receive a bye for the first round of the playoffs, during which the No. 7 seed will face the No. 10 seed and the No. 8 seed will face the No. 9 seed. The top four seeds in Group II will receive a bye for the first round of the playoffs, during which the No. 5 seed will face the No. 12 seed, the No. 6 seed will face the No. 11 seed, the No. 7 seed will face the No. 10 seed and the No. 8 seed will face the No. 9 seed. Weeks 10 through 12 remain unchanged from the current NJSIAA football structure. Group championships are played at neutral sites the week after Thanksgiving. Scheduling: The proposal makes Week 0 optional and preserves Thanksgiving rivalry games. Schools are guaranteed a 10th game through three options: Option 1: Play straight through from Week 0 to Week 8 and play a postseason playoff game or NJSIAA assigned game. Issued: 1-25-18 3
Option 2: Play eight times in Week 0 through Week 8, play Thanksgiving and play postseason playoff game or NJSIAA assigned game. Option 3: Play eight times in Week 0 through Week 8, play postseason playoff game or regional crossover and play an additional game in Week 10 if school does not advance in the postseason as assigned by the NJSIAA (to enlarge the pool of schools available to play on Week 10 and help bridge the gap for schools with Thanksgiving games, the maximum number of regular-season games will increase from nine to 10). A school with a Thanksgiving game that finishes its nine games in Week 9 would be allowed to pick up an additional game in Week 10 or Week 11 in order to bridge the gap to their Thanksgiving game. Additionally, a team that is out of the playoffs in Week 9 may play an additional game in Week 10 or Week 11 if it desires. 2018 Football Calendar: Week 0 Sept. 1 Regular-season games only for schools that elect to make Week 0 their season opener. Week 1 Sept. 7 Week 2 Sept. 14 Week 3 Sept. 21 Week 4 Sept. 28 Week 5 Oct. 5 Week 6 Oct. 12 Week 7 Oct. 19 Week 8 Oct. 26 Week 9 Nov. 2 First round of public school playoffs and NJSIAA-assigned games for non-playoff qualifiers. First round of non-public school playoffs with up to the top six seeds receiving byes. Week 10 Nov. 9 Public school playoffs sectional semifinals. Non-public school playoff quarterfinals. Issued: 1-25-18 4
Optional additional game for teams that did not make the playoffs or have been knocked out of the postseason (for a 10th game the NJSIAA will assign an opponent, and for an 11th desired game the school may seek and schedule an opponent). Week 11 Nov. 16 Public school sectional championships at neutral sites such as MetLife Stadium, Rutgers University, Kean University and Rowan University. Non-public school semifinals. Thanksgiving Week Nov. 22 Thanksgiving Day games for schools maintaining those traditional rivalries. Week 12 Nov. 30 Sectional champions will be pitted against one another in "Bowl Championships" at neutral sites. Non-public school finals at neutral sites. Respectfully submitted, John Deutsch, Rich Shello Skyland Rep - Mid-State 38 Football Conference Chairman Nick Serritella Issued: 1-25-18 5