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NJSIAA considering drastic changes to public football system

Two sections instead of four. Seven groups instead of five. Sixteen teams in the playoff field instead eight. Plus an early start to the regular season and a schedule of 13 games for teams that make the championship finals.

Two sections instead of four.

Seven groups instead of five.

Sixteen teams in the playoff field instead eight.

Plus an early start to the regular season and a schedule of 13 games for teams that make the championship finals.

Those are the highlights of the drastic changes to the NJSIAA's public-school football playoff system that were proposed this week during a meeting of representatives of the state's football conferences and NJSIAA officials.

The proposal will be further discussed during the NJSIAA's football committee meeting on Wednesday before a decision is made on whether to advance the matter to the organization's advisory and executive committees for a possible vote on implementation.

Ewing athletic director Bud Kowal, president of the West Jersey Football League, said he was "shocked" by the magnitude of the proposed changes to the playoff system.

Kowal expressed misgivings about the proposal and vowed to "do everything in my power" to insure that the plan be placed before the NJSIAA's general membership for a vote in December rather than fast-tracked through the organization's committees.

South Jersey football coaches seemed split on the proposal, although most said they needed additional time to consider the radical changes to the current playoff format.

"Any plan that allows us to play more games and can lead to a state championship, I'm in favor of," Shawnee coach Tim Gushue said.

But Gushue noted that "football coaches do not get to make these decisions."

Cinnaminson coach Mario Patrizi was against the proposal.

"You're looking at possible mismatched games along with starting the regular season before school actually is in session," Patrizi said.

Proponents of the proposal, which originated with the North Jersey Super Football Conference, hope to see the changes take effect for the 2018 season.

Under the proposal:

Public-school sections would be reduced from four to two. Instead of South, Central, North 1 and North 2 sections, there would be a South Jersey section and a North Jersey section.

The number of groups in each section would increase from five to seven.

Twenty-two or 23 teams would be in each sectional group.

Sixteen teams would make the playoffs in each sectional group.

Most teams would start the season on the so-called "Zero Week," which in many years is the weekend before Labor Day.

Three rounds of the playoffs would be held before Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving games would be preserved.

Championship games would be held the first weekend in December, the same time as the current schedule.

Teams in the championships would be playing their 13th game.

Timber Creek coach Rob Hinson said he was in favor of the change.

"Sounds cool," Hinson said. "It'd give us an opportunity to play other schools, which would be nice."

Kowal said he and other WJFL officials as well as representatives from other football-playing conferences were surprised by the proposal.

Previously, Kowal said, officials from the North Jersey Super Football Conference had approached WJFL officials about supporting a proposal to keep the current playoff format but expand the fields from eight to 12 teams, with the top four seeds receiving byes.

Kowal said he and other WJFL officials have several misgivings about the proposal, not the least of which was the increased probability of non-competitive and potentially dangerous games in the early rounds of the tournament.

"You have mismatches now with the one [seed] playing the eight, the two playing the seven," Kowal said. "How in the world are you going to have one playing 16?"

NJSIAA director Jack Dubois, who oversees football and was present at the meeting, was travelling Friday and unavailable for comment, an NJSIAA spokesman said.

The meeting at NJSIAA headquarters was attended by representatives of the six football conferences in the state - the WJFL, the NJSFC, the Shore Conference, the Greater Middlesex Conference, the Mid-State 38 and the North Jersey Interscholastic Conference.

panastasia@phillynews.com

@PhilAnastasia

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