By Andy Loigu

The merger of the Mid-State 38 and the Greater Middlesex conferences has produced new divisional alignments for Warren Hills and Belvidere in football for the next two seasons.

The divisions are set by enrollment classification, which is important for football. The disparity in available player numbers could pose an increased injury risk if a Group 1 team relying on a core of 10 guys playing both offense and defense, should be pitted against a much larger Group 4 team which can utilize a deep roster and make substitutions with little drop off in talent.

The unfortunate thing about all this is the length of travel and loss of traditional rivalries. At least the traditional Hackettstown versus Warren Hills game for the Beater Board and local bragging rights will continue for the foreseeable future. Otherwise, many games between Warren County opponents are a thing of the past for now.

In Division 3 of the new 61-school Super-conference, officially named the Big Central, Warren Hills will face Middlesex County foes Carteret and South Plainfield (a wrestling powerhouse) along with more familiar foes Immaculata, Rahway, Somerville, and Summit, who they have been playing in the Mid-State 38 the last few years. Missing from this group are geographically nearby old pals Voorhees and North Hunterdon, who have been thrown into Division 2A and Division 4, respectively. Sad.

In Division 1B, the Big Red of Belvidere has new opponents in Dunellen and Highland Park (a stone’s throw from the Rutgers University campus) in addition to familiar Mid-State 38 teams Dayton, Manville, and South Hunterdon.

Hackettstown and North Warren officials saw this coming when they joined the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference a decade ago. Playing their conference games in Morris and Sussex counties, they play at places that are much closer, such as Lenape Valley, Mount Olive, Hopatcong, Dover, and Jefferson.

Fuel up the bus!

….Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.