Football: Mid-State 38 proposes merger with GMC

The Greater Middlesex Conference as we know it may become another superconference, like the North Jersey Super Conference with its 115 schools or the ever-expanding West Jersey Football League, which now encompasses the southern tier of the state and has 95 members.

The Mid-State 38 has proposed joining forces with the GMC in an effort to create an even playing field when scheduling Group I through Group V.

The feelings among football coaches in the county have been mixed. Travel costs are an issue as well as the time it would take to bus from Sayreville to Phillipsburg. And what about freshman games and JV games that are held on Fridays and Mondays as schools get out at different times and then have to travel? A 3:45 p.m. start just doesn’t seem possible in some instances, and then there is the bus ride back after the game on a school night.

Here are the six proposed divisions:

Division 1A

South Brunswick, Elizabeth, Piscataway, Old Bridge, Westfield.

Division 1B

Ridge, Hunterdon Central, Linden, Union, Montgomery.

Division 2A

Bridgewater-Raritan, Hillsborough, Edison, Monroe, Watchung Hills.

Division 2B

Franklin, New Brunswick, J.P. Stevens, Perth Amboy, North Brunswick.

Division 3A

East Brunswick, Plainfield, Summit, Colonia, Phillipsburg.

Division 3B

Sayreville, Immaculata, Woodbridge, St. Joseph (Metuchen), North Hunterdon.

Division 4B

Voorhees, South Plainfield, Rahway, Governor Livingston, North Plainfield.

Division 5A

Somerville, Bernards, New Providence, Delaware Valley, A.L. Johnson.

Division 5B

Spotswood, Metuchen, Roselle, Bishop Ahr, Hillside.

Division 6A

Dunellen, Belvidere, South Hunterdon, Roselle Park, Brearley.

Division 6B

Middlesex, South River, Dayton, Bound Brook, Highland Park, Manville.

I know that there are many questions to be answered by coaches, athletic directors, principals and superintendents. My recommendation is to have a summit meeting with all parties to discuss concerns, rational, costs, travel times and the direction of football in Middlesex County as well as throughout the state. No vote should be taken until these matters are spelled out clearly and conference members are sure that there are no backdoor deals being made to appease a select few.

If this is headed in a statewide direction, with the dissolution of conferences as we know them, then why not revisit the Borden/Bruno plan that missed passage in 2013 by a mere 23 votes? Go back to four group classifications with two divisions of 10 teams and play for your division trophy. All schools would open the same weekend with no byes, Thanksgiving can be built in but requires two regional crossovers (formerly known as consolations), and play to overall group championships as football is the only sport that does not.

GMC TOP 10

1. Piscataway (2-0): Piscataway started slow against East Brunswick but turned the tide in the second half, winning 32-7. Elijah Barnwell rushed 10 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Danny Haus had a rushing touchdown. Next: at South Brunswick, Friday, 7 p.m.

2. Old Bridge (2-0): Nick Sodano rushed for 118 yards and three scores while Artur Sitkowski was 9-of-17 for 99 yards and one touchdown. T.J. Townsend, Alston Amegbenyo and Jake Kodros led the defense in a 34-14 win over Monroe. Next: Manalapan, Friday, 7 p.m.

3. South Brunswick (1-1): The Vikings defeated No. 5 New Brunswick 21-7 behind the play of quarterback Josh Liao, who rushed for two scores and threw a touchdown pass to Anthony Blakey while finishing with 109 total yards of offense. Next: Piscataway, Friday, 7 p.m.

4. Sayreville (2-0): Jayson DeMild threw for 252 yards and three scores, the last one an 80-yard hitch-and-go to Andrew Wille, which proved to be the difference-maker in a tight 18-13 win over Edison. Jahsim Floyd had four catches for 84 yards and two scores. Next: New Brunswick, Friday, 7 p.m.

5. South Plainfield (2-0): The Tigers rushed for 265 yards in a 29-3 victory over J.P. Stevens. Quarterback Charles Lovett carried 12 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns. Running backs Zach DelVecchio (80 yards) and Deshai Smith (65 yards) each scored a touchdown. Next: Woodbridge, Friday, 7 p.m.

6. St. Joseph (2-0): Manny Resto rushed for 149 yards and two touchdowns while placekicker Jon Sot set a new school record with a 55-yard field goal, added another 29-yarder and kicked five extra points in a 43-15 win over Perth Amboy. Next: Colonia, Saturday, 1 p.m.

7. Woodbridge (1-1): The Barrons lost a tough 7-6 home game to Shore Conference power Manasquan. Keyshaun Henry scored the lone touchdown for Woodbridge on a 20-yard from the Wildcat formation, but the PAT failed. Next: at South Plainfield, Friday, 7 p.m.

8. Colonia (1-1): Quarterback Tyler Layton completed 14 of 18 passes for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Taj Johnson had 53 yards rushing for a touchdown and eight catches for 61 yards and a score in a 33-13 victory over North Brunswick. Next: at St. Joseph, Saturday, 1 p.m.

9. Carteret (2-0): Quartius Byrd rushed for 81 yards and one touchdown. Quarterback Angelo Golino threw for three scores, two to Keanu Chapman and one to fullback Dwayne Sharpe, for a total of 84 yards passing in a 28-7 victory over J.F. Kennedy. Next: North Brunswick, Friday, 7 p.m.

10. Spotswood (2-0): Jack Keenan rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown as the Chargers tallied 225 yards of total offense in their 27-13 win against Holmdel. Quarterback Nick Mohr was 6-for-8 passing for 68 yards and a touchdown. Next: Middlesex, Saturday, 1 p.m.

GMC WEEK 2 RESULTS

Sayreville 18-13 over Edison

Old Bridge 34-14 over Monroe

Piscataway 32-7 over East Brunswick

Manasquan 7-6 over Woodbridge

South Plainfield 27-10 over J.P. Stevens

St. Joseph 43-15 over Perth Amboy

Spotswood 27-13 over Holmdel

Carteret 28-7 over J.F. Kennedy

Point Pleasant Beach 20-14 over Bishop Ahr

Colonia 32-12 over North Brunswick

South Brunswick 21-7 over New Brunswick

Mater Dei 42-6 over Dunellen

Monmouth 33-22 over Metuchen

Highland Park 33-20 over Keansburg

South River 6-0 over Middlesex

GMC WEEK 3 SCHEDULE

Friday, Sept. 23

Highland Park at Dunellen, 7 p.m.

Manalapan at Old Bridge, 7 p.m.

Monroe at East Brunswick, 7 p.m.

New Brunswick at Sayreville, 7 p.m.

North Brunswick at Carteret, 7 p.m.

Perth Amboy at JFK, 7 p.m.

Piscataway at South Brunswick, 7 p.m.

South River at Bishop Ahr, 7 p.m.

Woodbridge at South Plainfield, 7 p.m.

Saturday, Sept. 24

Colonia at St. Joseph, 1 p.m.

Middlesex at Spotswood, 1 p.m.

GMC STANDINGS 
(overall record in parentheses)



RED DIVISION

Piscataway (2-0) 2-0

Old Bridge (2-0) 2-0

Sayreville (2-0) 2-0

South Brunswick (1-1) 1-1

Edison (1-1) 1-1

Monroe (0-2) 0-2

East Brunswick (0-2) 0-2

New Brunswick (0-2) 0-2

WHITE DIVISION

South Plainfield (2-0) 2-0

St. Joseph (2-0) 2-0

Carteret (2-0) 2-0

Woodbridge (1-1) 1-0

Colonia (1-1) 1-1

J.F. Kennedy (1-1) 0-1

J.P. Stevens (0-2) 0-2

North Brunswick (0-2) 0-2

Perth Amboy (0-2) 0-2

BLUE DIVISION

Spotswood (2-0) 1-0

Bishop Ahr (1-1) 1-0

Metuchen (1-1) 1-0

South River (1-1) 0-1

Highland Park (1-1) 0-1

Dunellen (0-1) 0-0

Middlesex (0-2) 0-2