By Dan Cleary

1/31/2008 - SCIL Adopts Innovative Soccer Plan (Exclusive to MugsMedia.com)

Realignment is finally coming to the Sussex County Interscholastic League and it is not in the sport that has grabbed all the headlines on the subject.

While the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association’s special committee on realignment works on possibly restructuring all of the conferences in the state, prompted by the debate about competitive balance between public and non-public schools, especially in football, the SCIL has made a proactive move and has separated boys and girls soccer into two divisions by school size starting next fall.

Champions will be crowned in each division and after every season the winner of the small school division would join the large school division the next season and the last place finisher in the large division would drop to the smaller one the next season. The regular season will conclude with the first-ever SCIL boys and girls soccer tournament.

The historic plan, which was devised by longtime Vernon boys soccer coach John Ryan, was overwhelmingly approved by the SCIL on Jan 17 after being proposed by the coaches after their fall meeting in November. The boys and girls coaches endorsed Ryan’s plan 20-0, Ryan said.

It is the first time in the SCIL’s 33-year history that the loop has been divided into divisions in any sport. The pilot plan is in place for two years and will be reviewed and tweaked as it goes along, said Tom Vara, Hopatcong’s athletic director. Vara added that if the plan is successful, the league will explore the possibility of implementing two divisions in other sports.

However, if the NJSIAA decides to realign all the conferences in the state, the plan would be scuttled.

“I think the plan has a lot of merit,’ said Vara, whose Hopatcong’s teams will compete in the small school division and have recently struggled in SCIL play. “There are some cons, but the pros outweigh it. It is what the coaches want and that is what you want. You want everyone working together. This is how the process should work. This is a great first step.

“I think a lot of this stems from football,” added Vara of the sport which has garnered most of the spotlight when it comes to realignment. “We knew we had to do something and we felt now is the time. But there is a chance the state could step in and this whole concept is gone. But we weren’t going to wait for the state because you don’t know if or when they will do anything.”

Ryan devised five different plans before it was approved, he said. Here is the breakdown: The schools will be divided into large school and small school divisions, called either A and B or 1 or 2. It hasn’t been decided. The schools that will comprise the large school division are Vernon (Group 4), Sparta (Group 3), High Point (Group 3) Jefferson (Group 3) and Pope John (Non-Public A).

Kittatinny, Lenape Valley, Newton, Wallkill Valley and Hopatcong, all Group 2 schools, will make up the small school division.

Each school will play an unbalanced 13-game SCIL slate with eight games within your division (home and away) and five crossover games. This allows for schools to schedule up to five independent games if they choose. The state allows for three different scheduling options in soccer. The SCIL will follow the option of 18 games, plus one tournament and the state tournament.

Under the old format, the SCIL with its 18-game league schedule was locked into the 20 games plus the state tournament option. This allowed schools to schedule just two independents, which was a big problem for a lot of the coaches. The third option allows for 16 games, plus two tourneys and the state tournament.

The SCIL regular season will end the week of Oct. 25 and the SCIL tournament will get under way Monday, Oct. 27 at the home of the higher seed. According to Ryan, six teams will make the tourney with the top two teams getting a bye, just like the SCIL hoops tourney before it expanded to eight teams a few years back.

How the six teams will qualify will be determined at the coaches’ preseason meeting in mid-August, Ryan said. Ryan said he will propose that the top two finishers in each division would make the cut followed by the next two schools with the best record, regardless of division.

The boys and girls tourneys would conclude, under Ryan’s plan, with a championship night doubleheader under the lights at Vernon’s beautiful new multi-purpose stadium on Saturday, Nov. 1. The tourney schedule and seeding process will also be finalized in August, Ryan said.

“I’m really pleased it got through and Bill Edelman (Vernon’s AD) really helped push it through,” said Ryan. “It feels great, and not from a selfish point of view, and I really mean that. My concern has always been what benefits the kids in soccer and everyone else involved in soccer. All the coaches wanted it. I’ve always wanted more independent games because it helps the kids see different types of soccer and helps them improve.

“Plus it gives the kids more recovery time since we won’t have to play six games in nine days, which has happened in the past,” added Ryan, who has over 360 wins and has guided the Vikings to 10 SCIL crowns in nearly 30 years at the helm. “There is more than enough room to put in comfortably four independents the way the schedule is built so you have some time to recover for the third game.”

Ryan and Vara both said recovery time was a key issue in the plan. When playing 18 mandatory league games the schedule can get tight, especially if you throw in a couple of rain dates. Now with 13 league games, coaches have the choice to schedule as many as independents they want up to five. Some might choose three. It is up to them.

Pope John girls coach Ryan Barbulescu couldn’t be happier with the plan. He has championed the cause the last few years as he hopes to help lead the Lions to their first-ever North Non-Public A state sectional title next season with the return of most of his squad from last year’s 17-4 team (16-2 SCIL) which won its fifth SCIL crown in the last six years.

Barbulescu drew a lot of heat before last season began when he was quoted as saying the SCIL doesn’t provide enough competition for the Lions. Barbulescu said what wasn’t reported was that he said he wanted to go to two divisions and add a county tournament, which would allow the possibility of three teams winning a championship.

“It is for the benefit for all the schools, players and coaches,” said Barbulescu. “Now three out of 10 teams in the league have a chance to win a banner. And now teams can schedule games and play to their strength, but still play everyone in Sussex County at least once. I hope everyone benefits from this.”

Barbulescu said he hopes to schedule as many tough independents as he can to gear up for the states next season. The Lions have picked up Group 4 power Clifton, plus Mendham and Villa Walsh. He said state powers Ramapo, Northern Highlands and Scotch Plains are on his wish list.

On the other hand, teams like Hopatcong and Jefferson, which have struggled in both boys and girls soccer the last few years, now have a chance to play games against schools at their level, which in turn will benefit their programs. Playing five independents would also bolster their chances of qualifying for the state tournament as well.

“From a struggling program point of view, it gives us an opportunity to go out and schedule teams and have the ability to be in an equal arena. It will also help top teams get better with tougher competition and the other teams that are trying to get back (to prominence) or are building a program.”

Ryan added that the plan he hatched could hurt Vernon next year. He said playing in the big division plus the tough out of conference games could put the school’s streak of making the states in jeopardy. But he said it is worth the risk due to the benefits of the plan in the long run for everyone involved.

All in all, I think the plan is great. I proposed a similar plan in a blog in October (Kicking Around Realignment) with the only major differences being that I would have all the teams make the SCIL tourney and I split my divisions by size and success over the last five years, so Newton and Jefferson would have swapped places to start on the boys side. But even under Ryan’s plan, a school like Jefferson won’t be a large division punching bag forever if it finishes last because it would drop down to the small school division where it can lick its wounds and regroup.

As I have pointed out before, no one benefits when Sparta’s boys, who have won unprecedented six straight SCIL titles, beats Jefferson and Hopatcong a combined 18-0 in two games. And the same could be said for PJ’s girls when they face the Falcons and the Chiefs. I agree with Vara. This gives the struggling programs a chance to get better and build confidence. That will only benefit the kids and isn’t that what this should be all about?

I know it might be a logistical nightmare for the ADs with such short notice, but it can be done. I can’t say enough about how great an idea this is. The SCIL should be applauded for taking such decisive action and it sends a clear message to the state that the league is not going to sit on its hands and wait for someone else to solve its problems.

I can’t wait to see how this plays out. Quick predictions? Sparta boys will continue to roll, while Newton will win the second division. On the girls, it’s PJ and in the small division, a healthy Wallkill Valley wins the crown. Sparta’s boys win the tourney as will PJ’s girls.

That’s it for now, see you on the sidelines.