Alert the NJSIAA about Hoboken’s record and status
The New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association released the updated football power point numbers on Monday for qualifying for the state playoffs, and wouldn’t you know that a Hudson County team would be getting the short end of the stick from the beloved organization?
Listed among the leaders in Group III power was Hoboken with 26 points, trailing Sparta by one point in that bracket.
What’s wrong with that picture? Well, for one, Hoboken is no longer a Group III school. It’s Group II. The change in classification took place earlier this year.
And secondly, the NJSIAA has Hoboken listed with a 3-1 record.
Wait a minute. Did the Red Wings lose a game that no one knows about? I mean, they’ve only won 27 straight games dating back over two-plus seasons and they’ve won 66 of their last 67 games dating back over six years. Where did that loss come from?
When I contacted the state to alert them of their error, they immediately said the right thing: It’s not their fault.
Of course, it’s not. Then whose fault is it?
One would think that the NJSIAA would know about Hoboken’s string of success. After all, the state association keeps making those state championship trophies to hand out to the Red Wings’ players every single December.
Anyway, as we all know, Hoboken is 3-0 and hasn’t lost since who knows when. And the Red Wings should be sitting atop the Group II power point rankings, ahead of Pompton Lakes and Newton, which already have lost games this year. Legitimately. On the field. Not in the eyes of the state.
Just in case you were wondering, North Bergen sits atop the Group IV rankings, currently ahead of the state’s No. 1 team in Hackensack, but that should change. Emerson, also undefeated, is fifth in the same bracket.
And of course, we haven’t even hit the halfway mark of the season yet….
One thing to watch as the football season progresses: The state championships will not be held at Giants Stadium this year, so it means that home field advantage will have even more of an importance in terms of playoff positioning.
It’s a shame that the new natural grass surface at Giants Stadium will kick the high school kids to the curb, but what can you do? Remember, it all comes down to money. And surprising as it may seem, the NFL has a little bit more money than the NJSIAA…
I went to the Bergen Catholic-Paramus Catholic football game last weekend. Spotted in the stands was North Bergen Recreation’s resident good guy Jay Sticco, who was absolutely beaming because his grandson, Jeff, scored two touchdowns in Bergen Catholic’s 29-20 win…
Best athlete in the HCIAA thus far in the football season? Dickinson’s Yonar Candelaria. The young man can do everything and then some. He’s the best all-around talent the county has seen in a few years. Candelaria had two touchdowns in the loss to North Bergen last weekend…
Can anyone have a better game than the one produced by Weehawken’s Peter Martinez last week? Martinez merely had two touchdown receptions of 12 and 57 yards, caught another pass for 80 yards and made a staggering 14 tackles on defense, in Weehawken’s 28-14 win over Lyndhurst. That’s not a game. That’s a career…
Sssh, don’t tell anyone, but I have a secret. The St. Peter’s College football team is 3-1. Be very quiet with that one. If Rob Stern wins any more games in a row, he’s in line to become the next Pope.
Although I don’t know whether or not Stern wants that role, because he’s slated to get married next month. What a year! Marriage and a winning season all in one…