Team unable to get full roster
By: Rudy Brandl
Gregg and Robert Snyder have the official American Legion arm patches to prove their Somerville squad qualified for this year’s State Tournament. Unfortunately, Post 12 couldn’t field enough players to compete in the event, which was slated to begin last weekend in West Deptford.
Somerville ended the regular season on a three-game win streak, which elevated the club’s record to 10-10. That record moved the team into seventh place, which wasn’t supposed to be good enough for entry into the state tourney.
The top four teams in the Somerset-Hunterdon League receive automatic bids to the State Legion Tournament, while three other squads are eligible for post-season participation in another tournament.
The Snyders were expecting their team to get invited to another event, most likely the Connie Mack Tournament, but Bridgewater-Raritan and Ridge, two teams that finished higher in the league standings, opted to go to Connie Mack instead of the state tournament.
It would have been easier for Somerville to fill its roster for Connie Mack, since that event allows teams to select players from other rosters not competing in the event. Snyder would have plucked a few players from other teams to fill his squad.
However, the state tournament is very strict about its roster regulations. Those rules and the unexpected invitation to the state tournament left Somerville scrambling to find players on very short notice.
"It’s a shame," said Robert Snyder, the team’s assistant coach who took on a larger role managing the club this summer. "It was tough to get guys to field a team on two days notice. We didn’t think we were making it going 10-10, but then we get a call two days before we have to go to a meeting. It was tough running around, but we thought we had it. That’s the real unfortunate part."
The state regulations go beyond using proper rosters and presenting birth certificates to prove it. All teams must wear uniforms with the state’s official Legion patch on the sleeve. Post 12 ordered the patches late last week and they arrived in time. Sadly, they weren’t needed.
"We had a few on already, but mine is hanging in the closet," Robert Snyder said. "Maybe I’ll save it for next year."