H.S. football changes in store for fall '09
BY JIMMY ALLINDER Correspondent
High school football fans, you are highly encouraged to read and digest the facts below. Only then will you fully understand how the face of local high school football will change this fall.

First, understand that opponents on area teams' schedules may be somewhat unfamiliar. That's because the Greater Middlesex and Shore conferences have joined themselves at the hip, resulting in two and sometimes three crossover games between teams in the respective leagues. As to who plays whom, teams are being matched according to size.

The second significant change is the way teams qualify for the state playoffs. The NJSIAA has implemented a new power point system for determining which eight teams qualify for the sectionals, which begin in November.

Here's how the schedules change for area teams. GMC Red Division team East Brunswick travels to Freehold Township, Sept. 17, and will host Jackson Memorial, Oct. 23, and Brick Memorial, Nov. 6. That's in addition to the slate of division opponents, which include the likes of Piscataway, South Brunswick and Woodbridge.

Monroe's march to a fourth consecutive state playoff berth will be challenged by home games against two of the top teams in the Shore Conference, Red Bank Catholic and Brick Township. The season will open against the Caseys, Sept. 11. And in the eighth and final game for playoff qualification, the Green Dragons come to town, Nov. 6. That game will mark the homecoming for former Falcon coach Pat Dowling, who was named Brick head coach a few weeks ago, replacing legendary Brick coach Warren Wolf.

An opponent that Monroe has not faced in a few years, East Brunswick, returns to the schedule when the Falcons visit the Bears, Sept. 25.

Spotswood and South River also play games against Shore Conference teams. The Chargers open their season Sept. 11 with a road game at Red Bank Regional and conclude the regular season at Holmdel, Nov. 6. While the Rams face two smaller group Shore Conference teams, Shore Regional and Point Pleasant Borough, both are perennial powers. On Sept. 11, the Rams visit Shore, which finished 8-2 last season, and hosts Point Pleasant borough, also 8-2 in 2008, Nov. 7, to close out the regular campaign.

As for the way the state playoff-system works, under the new system that commences this fall, a team will receive six points for a win and three for a tie. Only the first eight games count towards playoff qualification.

The added points come depending on the size of the opponent's group, from four down to one point. Therefore, it not only is important that you win, but who you beat.

The residual points can be obtained in three ways. By winning against an opponent, a team earns three more points for every victory that team achieves, and 1.5 points for a tie.

Here's another big change. Even if a team has lost to an opponent, it earns a point for each victory by that opponent.