Playoff Fever Grips Shore Conference (in October?!)

With temperatures pretty much in the 70s and 80s it would be easy to assume we are still in the early part of the high school football season.

However most teams have played at least half of the eight games on their regular season schedule and this weekend six of the seven divisions in the Shore Conference could be decided.

The new conference alignment and schedule has teams playing most if not all of their divisions games to start the season and that sets the stage for this to be basically a championship weekend even though it’s early October.

Tonight’s Jersey Mike’s Game of the Week on 92.7 WOBM and shoresportsnetwork.com finds undefeated Rumson-Fair Haven visiting once-beaten Brick.  If the Bulldogs win they clinch the Colonial Division title while a Green Dragons victory would find the teams finishing as co-champions.

In the American Division it’s the same scenario between Middletown South and Toms River North.  A win by the Eagles and they claim the title but if the Mariners can come through at home then the teams finish in a tie.

The shore’s top-ranked team Red Bank Catholic hosts Long Branch tonight in a battle of undefeated teams. The winner is the Freedom Division champion.  Same story between Mater Dei Prep and Barnegat who collide tonight in Southern Ocean County…the winner is champion of the Patriot Division.

Jackson Memorial will secure the outright Constitution Division crown with a win over Marlboro at Munley Field tonight while Manasquan can wrap up the Liberty Division at home tomorrow by beating Colts Neck.

The only division that can’t decide the final outcome this weekend is the National Division.  Both Donovan Catholic and Holmdel are 3-0 in division play as they get set to meet tonight in Toms River.  Each team will have two division games left but tonight’s winner clearly takes a giant step to claiming a title.

To see who our so-called “experts” pick in all these games check out the Football Picks at shoresportsnetwork.com