The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association released its classifications this week for the upcoming high school football season, following the executive committee's in the four public school sections in May. Among the classifications are Rumson-Fair Haven Regional High School and Red Bank Catholic.
"This creates a greater opportunity for schools and for student-athletes," Jack DuBois, NJSIAA assistant director who is in charge of football, said following the approval. "It increases the number of teams playing in the playoffs from 128 to 160. At the same time, it eliminates 16 consolation games that schools didn't want to play anyway."
The proposal also allows teams with records under .500 to participate in the playoffs if they are needed to fill an eight-team bracket.
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"We fill brackets in other sports that way, such as baseball and soccer," DuBois said.
The new groups expand the number of sectional champions in the state from 20 to 24. Here is a full list of the classifications entering the season, including the non-public schools.
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North 1
Group V Group IV Group III Group II Group I Bergen Cty VT - Hackensack Belleville Bergenfield Dumont Becton, Henry P. Bloomfield Fair Lawn Garfield Elmwood Park Belvidere Clifton Hackensack High Point Glen Rock Bogota East Orange Montville Indian Hills Hawthorne Boonton Eastside (Paterson) Mount Olive Jefferson Hopatcong Butler Kennedy, J.F. Paterson Northern Highlands Lakeland Kinnelon Cedar Grove Livingston Northern Valley Demarest Mahwah Kittatinny Cresskill Montclair Northern Valley Old Tappan Morris Hills Manchester Regional Emerson Jr-Sr (Emerson) Morris Knolls Nutley Pascack Valley New Milford Hasbrouck Heights North Bergen Paramus Ramapo Newton Park Ridge Passaic Passaic Valley Ramsey North Warren Pompton Lakes Passaic Cty VT Roxbury River Dell Pascack Hills Saddle Brook Randolph Teaneck Sparta Pequannock Sussex Cty Vo-Tech Ridgewood Vernon Tenafly Waldwick/Midland Park Verona Union City Wayne Hills West Essex Wallkill Valley Wallington West Orange Wayne Valley West Milford Westwood Wood-RidgeNorth 2
Group V Group IV Group III Group II Group I Bayonne Barringer Chatham Bernards Bound Brook Bridgewater-Raritan East Side Newark Cliffside Park Caldwell Brearley, David Columbia Ferris Cranford Central-Newark Dayton, Jonathan Edison Irvington Fort Lee Dover Dunellen Elizabeth Kearny Governor Livingston Hackettstown Glen Ridge Franklin Linden Matawan Hanover Park Harrison North Hunterdon Memorial (WNY) Palisades Park/Leonia Lenape Valley Hoboken Perth Amboy Millburn Parsippany Lincoln Metuchen Phillipsburg Morristown Parsippany Hills Lodi Middlesex Piscataway Plainfield Raritan Lyndhurst New Providence Ridge Rahway Somerville Madison Boro North Arlington Stevens, John P. Scotch Plains-Fanwood South Plainfield Morrow, Dwight Ridgefield Union Warren Hills Summit Mountain Lakes Roselle Park Watchung Hills West Morris Central Voorhees Orange Secaucus Westfield West Morris Mendham West Side Ridgefield Park WeehawkenRutherford Whippany Park
Central
Group V Group IV Group III Group II Group I Brick Memorial Brick Township Allentown Bordentown Asbury Park East Brunswick Colonia Ewing Carteret Burlington City Freehold Township Colts Neck Hamilton North Clark, Abraham Florence Hillsborough Freehold Boro Hamilton West Delaware Valley Haddon Township Howell Hamilton East Holmdel Delran Highland Park Hunterdon Central Hightstown Hopewell Valley Hillside Keansburg Manalapan Jackson Liberty Lakewood Johnson, Arthur L. Keyport/Hudson Marlboro Kennedy, J.F. Iselin Lawrence Monmouth Regional Manville Monroe Middletown North Long Branch North Plainfield New Egypt Montgomery New Brunswick Manasquan Robbinsville Palmyra North Brunswick Pennsauken Middletown South Rumson-Fair Haven Point Pleasant Beach Old Bridge Princeton Neptune Shabazz, Malcolm X Riverside South Brunswick Sayreville Ocean Township Snyder Shore Trenton W Windsor-Plainsboro South Red Bank Regional Spotswood South Hunterdon W Windsor-Plainsboro North Woodbridge Wall Weequahic South RiverSouth
Group V Group IV Group III Group II Group I Absegami Cherry Hill West Barnegat Buena Audubon Atlantic City Clearview Bridgeton Cedar Creek Clayton Cherokee Hammonton Burlington Township Cinnaminson Gateway Cherry Hill East Kingsway Camden Collingswood Glassboro Eastern Lacey Central Regional Haddonfield Gloucester City Egg Harbor Mainland Cumberland Lower Cape May Haddon Heights Jackson Memorial Moorestown Delsea Maple Shade Lindenwold Lenape Oakcrest Deptford Middle Township Paulsboro Millville Seneca Highland Regional Ocean City Penns Grove Rancocas Valley Shawnee Manchester Township Overbrook Pennsville Southern Regional Timber Creek Northern Burlington Pemberton Pitman Toms River North Toms River East Pinelands Pleasantville Salem Vineland Toms River South Point Pleasant Boro West Deptford Schalick, Arthur P. Washington Triton Sterling Willingboro Wildwood Williamstown Winslow Township Wilson, Woodrow Woodstown WoodburyNon-Public
Group IV Group III Group II Group I Bergen Catholic Bishop Ahr Bishop Eustace Cardinal McCarrick, South Amboy Don Bosco Prep Camden Catholic Gloucester Catholic Hudson Catholic Notre Dame 918 Delbarton Holy Cross Immaculate Conception Montclair Paramus Catholic 1133 DePaul Holy Spirit Mater Dei Paul VI 840 Monsignor Donovan Immaculata Morristown Beard Saint Augustine Pope John XXIII Marist Newark Academy St. Peter’s Prep Jersey City Red Bank Catholic Montclair Kimberley 326 Queen of Peace Saint Joseph’s Metuchen Saint John Vianney Morris Catholic Saint Anthony Seton Hall Prep Saint Joseph Montvale Pingry Saint Mary’s RutherfordSaint Joseph’s Hammonton
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