Scholastic sports can bring stricken communities together. However, even they couldn’t escape the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, sending New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) officials and athletic directors scurrying for alternative schedules for the state tournaments that were supposed to begin play last week.
The NJSIAA pushed the starting date for all of its tournaments back a week and now play is scheduled to begin this week.
Jeannette Bruno, the supervisor of extracurricular activities at Colts Neck High School and a member of the NJSIAA executive committee, said the circumstances are “unprecedented” and every effort is being made to get the playoffs in. To cancel, she remarked, “would be to throw in the towel.”
“We have some of the best tournaments in the country and more championships for sports than anyone in the country,” said Bruno. “We want to do what is in the best interest of the kids. They deserve the opportunity. How can you tell a senior that they’re not going to get a chance at that.” Safety is the first priority, though. Don Danser, the assistant director of the NJSIAA, said games will be played when it’s “safe and wise.”
The sport hit hardest was cross-country. The state sectionals were scheduled to begin Nov. 3. However, Sandy ravaged three of the parks that were to host the sectionals — Thompson Park in Jamesburg, Warinanco Park in Elizabeth and Garrett Mountain in West Patterson. Danser, the director of the state Group and Meet of Champions (MOC) races, said that the sectionals will now be held instead at two sites on Nov. 10 — Delsea and Holmdel Park. Most likely, Central Jersey and South Jersey will race at Delsea, while the North Sections I and II will be held at Holmdel.
The Group championships are scheduled for Holmdel Park on Nov. 17.
The Meet of Champions will now be held on Nov. 21 at Holmdel Park.
The state sectional football playoffs have been pushed back a week. The state association will announce the playoff seedings on Nov. 11 with first round games scheduled for Nov. 16-17, which are the same dates for the consolation games. The semifinals will be held on Nov. 30 and Dec. 1 with the championship games on Dec. 7-8.
The gymnastics sectionals, also scheduled for Nov. 3, will be Nov. 9-10. The gymnastics team state championships are slated for Nov. 15 and the state individual final on Nov. 17.
Volleyball begins Nov. 8 with the sectional final slated for Nov. 15 and Group finals on Nov. 17. The Tournament of Champions is Nov. 18.
The boys and girls soccer and field hockey tournaments were pushed back. Teams will now have until Nov. 10 to complete their first round games. The sectional finals will be Nov. 19 for boys and Nov. 20 for girls. The Group state championships will be on Dec. 1 (boys) and Dec. 2 (girls).
Field hockey resumes on Nov. 10 with quarterfinals action. The sectional finals are Nov. 14 and the Group finals are Nov. 18. The Tournament of Champions has been cancelled this year.
Greg Beyer, the athletic director at Monroe Township High School, said the biggest challenge for athletic directors is “figuring who can do what at what time.”
Beyer noted that all the athletic directors are looking to be as accommodating as they can be and are understanding of the devastation the storm brought to many communities.
“You have to take it one day at a time and be very flexible and sensitive to the other person’s situation,” said Beyer. “Everyone has their own circumstances.”
Coaches and athletic directors have expressed another concern — practice time. Coaches have not been in contact with some of their players in more than a week. Football coaches have indicated that because of the physical nature of the sport, they would need to get a couple of practices in before playing a game. With many schools not returning before Nov. 7, and some out for the rest of this week, that might be difficult.
With a nor’easter headed this way on Nov. 7, even more flexibility will be required from the athletic directors. Danser said there is still a possibility that the tournaments could be scratched if the storm is very damaging. The state will reassess things day-by-day, he added, and every effort will be made to get the playoffs in.
As Bruno explained, it’s in the interest of the athletes to play the games. That remains the goal of the athletic directors and NJSIAA. Time is still on their side.