Playoff pairings highlighted by rematches

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The South Jersey football playoffs will have a number of interesting first-round matchups, including four rematches from the regular season.

The NJSIAA will release the official pairings today. The teams with the eight highest power ratings in each group qualified, provided there were eight teams with .500 or better records.

Bishop Eustace´s Fran Iula pulls away from Camden Catholic´s Antony Townsend. The Crusaders won, 35-20, on Friday to take the Burlco/Olympic National Division title outright.
BONNIE WELLER / Staff Photographer
Bishop Eustace's Fran Iula pulls away from Camden Catholic's Antony Townsend. The Crusaders won, 35-20, on Friday to take the Burlco/Olympic National Division title outright.
The first round will be played this weekend and the second round the following weekend, and the championships in most groups will be settled the first weekend in December.

Only five teams qualified in Non-Public Group 2, but Dwight Englewood, which would have been the No. 5 seed, will not participate. So top-seeded St. Joseph will meet No. 4 Pingry in one semifinal, and No. 2 Gloucester Catholic will face Morris Catholic in the other.

Here are the four rematches in the first round: Group 4, Eastern (8) vs. Cherokee (1); Group 3, Moorestown (7) vs. Timber Creek (2); and Group 1, Haddon Heights (5) vs. Paulsboro (4) and Schalick (7) vs. Penns Grove (2).

Cherokee beat Eastern, 36-17, on Oct. 30. Timber Creek defeated Moorestown, 47-0, in the second game of the season, although the Quakers have improved.

Paulsboro beat Haddon Heights, 21-0, in the opening game for both teams. Like Moorestown, Haddon Heights has improved since the early part of the season and enters the playoffs on a five-game winning streak that includes three shutouts.

Penns Grove beat Schalick, 36-0, on Oct. 2 but since then the Cougars have won four in a row.

Speaking of rematches, in Non-Public Group 3, top-seeded Pope John meets No. 8 seed Delbarton for the second week in a row. On Saturday, Delbarton upset Pope John, 45-35.

Projection update. St. Augustine and Paul VI were tied in Non-Public Group 4 with a power rating of 156. The Inquirer had projected St. Augustine as the higher seed and winning the tiebreaker, but it appears that Paul VI will be the No. 3 seed and St. Augustine No. 4.

The tiebreaker came down to the Paul VI opponents' having a higher combined number of wins and group size.

Both teams earned home games in the first round against talented teams. Paul VI is expected to face St. Peter's Prep, and St. Augustine's opponent should be Seton Hall Prep.

After facing national power Don Bosco Prep in the last two seasons - losing by a combined 107-13 - Paul VI should be happy not see the Ironmen in the first round.

Hot team. The race that may be the most up-for-grabs is in South Jersey Group 1. Glassboro is the two-time defending champion and top seed, but the Bulldogs have already lost to second-seeded Penns Grove.

Probably the hottest team is Woodbury. Since a 28-7 loss to Haddonfield, Woodbury has allowed just 33 points during its current six-game win streak.

Besides the top three seeds, the winner of the rematch between Paulsboro and Haddon Heights could be dangerous.

No sharing mood. Bishop Eustace already had clinched a share of the Burlco/Olympic National Division title, but the Crusaders got a little greedy, not wanting to share it with Camden Catholic.

Eustace ended as sole champion with Friday's 35-20 win over the Irish.

"I don't think it would have felt the same if we shared the title," Eustace coach Rob Cormier said.

The Crusaders caused six turnovers and recorded six sacks. Leading the defensive effort was linebacker Mike Miller, who had 13 tackles - two for loss - one sack and a fumble recovery.

Road warriors. Due to renovations, which include installing field turf and a new track and expanding the bleachers, Egg Harbor Township has been playing on the road all season. The Eagles hope to play their opening-round South Jersey Group 4 game with Shawnee at 1 p.m. Saturday at St. Augustine if the NJSIAA approves.

"That is the plan right now," coach Tony DeRosa said. "And if we are able to win our first-round playoff game, there is a chance we could play the second round at home."

DeRosa said the Eagles would definitely play their Thanksgiving game at home against Mainland.

The Langerman file. Area football statistician and historian Chuck Langerman reports that since Glassboro's 30-game win streak ended Oct. 31, four teams - Cherokee, Delsea, St. Augustine, and Williamstown - own the longest current South Jersey streak at nine games.

St. Augustine quarterback Dustin Thomas already has the South Jersey career record with 71 touchdown passes. Now he is nearing the passing yardage mark. Langerman has Thomas for 5,671 career yards. The all-time South Jersey leader is Cherry Hill East's Kevin Foley, who was a senior in 1991 and threw for 5,928 career yards.

There are 20 undefeated teams in the state, with seven from the seven-county South Jersey area. Those seven are St. Augustine, Paul VI, West Deptford, Delsea, Cherokee, Williamstown, and Egg Harbor Township.


Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or mnarducci@phillynews.com

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