Mainland’s football forfeits impact numerous teams

The way the NJSIAA football power ratings work, if a school is assessed forfeits, many other teams often are affected even if they never played the one that had wins taken away.

That is certainly the case with Mainland, which was 4-3 before the NJSIAA ruled Wednesday that the Mustangs had to forfeit their wins for using an ineligible player.

Now, Mainland goes to 0-7, and the change impacts several teams in Group 4 and even other groups.

In the NJSIAA power-rating system, teams with the top eight ratings in each group qualify for the playoffs, provided they have at least a .500 record.

A team receives six points for a win over a beaten opponent and points for the school's group size (Mainland is Group 4). In addition, a team receives three bonus points for every win that beaten opponent has.

And if a team loses a game, it receives a point for every one of that opponent's wins, except for their head-to-head matchup.

One of the main beneficiaries of the Mainland ruling was Absegami, which went from 3-4 to 4-3. Absegami had lost to Mainland, 17-14, but now that turns into a win.

Before the NJSIAA ruling, losing to Mainland had given Absegami three points (the number of Mainland's wins, excluding the one over Absegami).

Now with the forfeit, Absegami picks up 10 points for beating Mainland (six for the win and four for the group size).

Absegami also gained an additional three points for beating St. Augustine, which went from 1-6 to 2-5 after earning a forfeit win over Mainland.

Atlantic City didn't even play Mainland, but picked up 12 bonus points because it had beaten Absegami, St. Augustine, Ocean City, and Buena - the four teams that were awarded forfeit wins over Mainland.

Consequently, Atlantic City clinched a South Jersey Group 4 playoff berth. (It is likely Atlantic City would have earned a playoff spot, anyway, but 12 extra points are huge.)

Millville, yet another team in the running for a Group 4 playoff spot, received seven additional power-rating points because of the Mainland forfeits.

Absegami is ninth in Group 4 with its 84 power rating, and Millville is 10th at 81. Both have difficult games this weekend. Absegami will host Hammonton, and Millville will visit Atlantic City.

Absegami and Millville still likely need wins to stay alive for a Group 4 berth.

Hammonton was one of teams whose power rating decreased because of the NJSIAA ruling, going from 114 to 108. The Blue Devils beat Mainland, 27-3, and, entering the week, earned 22 points for beating the Mustangs (four plus six plus 12 bonus points for the four wins).

Now that total drops to 10 points (four plus six only). Hammonton did pick up six points for the forfeit wins earned by Buena and Ocean City over Mainland, but the Blue Devils lost six overall points on their power rating.

Hammonton already has qualified in Group 3, but those six points could mean the difference in seeding.

NJSIAA assistant director Bob Baly said the forfeits were because of an ineligible player. He did not elaborate.

"I can't go into specifics, but that player appeared in all four Mainland wins," Baly said.

Mainland coach Bob Coffey was unavailable for comment.

Baly said Mainland would be eligible to play from here on.

Besides Mainland, two other teams won't be eligible to compete in the NJSIAA tournament – Penns Grove and Bridgeton. According to Baly, both had three players ejected from games. That makes a team ineligible for the tournament.

Unlike Mainland, all games against Penns Grove and Bridgeton still count and power ratings don't have to be readjusted.

Penns Grove (6-1) would have been a serious contender in South Jersey Group 1. Bridgeton (4-4) would have been a long shot to qualify in South Jersey Group 2.