By Dan Cleary

5/9/2008 - Softball Should Have Tourney

By all accounts, the 2008 Sussex County Interscholastic League softball season has been the most competitive, not just in recent memory, but perhaps ever. And that is saying a lot.

From top to bottom the SCIL is the best it has ever been in the nearly 20 years I have been following the sport in these parts. So wouldn't it be exciting to see what would happen if the league had a postseason tournament?

The answer, in my opinion, is yes, but according to two of the most successful coaches in the league, the answer is a resounding, no. But after listening to Hall-of-Fame coach Ed Levens of Jefferson and Rick Poots, who has built the Sparta program into a perennial powerhouse, give their reasons why, they have valid points. But strictly from a fan's point of view, I would love to see it.

The SCIL baseball coaches got together a few years ago and formed the Sussex County Baseball Coaches Tournament, which gets under way this weekend. The final is set for Sunday, May 19 at Skylands Park, and if everything falls right, you will be able to see the game live on Channel 10 thanks to Service Electric Cable Television and Mugs Media.

But after being brought up at a coaches' meeting a few years ago, the idea of a SCIL tourney was shot down by the softball coaches and hasn't been brought up again.

"Personally, playing these guys twice is enough for me, especially this year," said Poots, who led the Spartans to the SCIL title in 2007. "This is the most competitive the league has been in my nine years. Everyone has quality pitching, so we are just trying to survive.

"I like to play independents," he added. "When we went to Cedar Grove for the tournament and played IHA and Livingston, it was nice to see other teams and get out of the conference."

Levens echoed Poots' sentiments about playing teams three times a season. He also brought up the distinct possibility of playing a team four times if you draw that team in the state tournament, which has happened numerous times in girls and boys basketball over the years.

But Jefferson is in a unique situation as the only Morris County school in the SCIL. The Falcons compete in the Morris County Tournament every season and Levens has guided the Falcons to four MCT titles during his illustrious career. Playing in a Sussex County league doesn't give the Falcons the opportunity to play their Morris neighbors, like Roxbury and Randolph.

"We enter every year no matter what," said Levens, who has guided Jefferson to 17 SCIL titles since joining the league in 1983. "I really don't want to play anyone more than twice. We like to get as many independents as possible. The Morris County Tournament is good for us because we get see different teams."

The coaches make good points. The SCIL is brutal this year and the league title probably won't be decided until the final game of the regular season with the distinct possibility of co-champs. Plus, SCIL teams have fared extremely well when they ventured outside the league. Sparta owns wins over IHA, Livingston, Clifton and Ramsey. Pope John also beat Clifton and topped a perennial state-power in Caldwell the other day.

Wallkill Valley, which made a mad dash to the state tournament cutoff and made it, won its Ranger Tournament, played tough squads like Paramus, and topped Villa Walsh to qualify for states. Add in the fact that Vernon and Lenape Valley, which have struggled in SCIL play, have been very competitive in their non-league slates, shows the SCIL has flexed its muscles this season.

So where does that put us? Well, if I were a coach, I see where Levens and Poots are coming from. But I'm not, so I would like to see the teams play a postseason tourney. Using the same argument about the quality of the league this year can also be used to support the idea of having a tourney.

This year, any one of eight teams could get hot and win the tournament. There is so much quality pitching that it wouldn't be surprising to see a Newton, with Chelsea Homa, or a Hopatcong, with Cassie Ridge, run the table despite finishing about .500 in conference play.

A tourney would also give teams that might not have had the seasons they had hoped, like Wallkill Valley, get a chance to win a championship. The Rangers came into the year with high hopes, but things haven't panned out as they expected. But they are playing their best softball of the season right now and are capable of beating anyone in the league.

So add in all those factors and you would be in for a great weekend of softball. The final could be played at Station Park in Sparta and would definitely draw a huge crowd.

But there is another option out there that has been broached before, but red tape always seems to snarl it up. In the past, some coaches, in different sports, have proposed the idea of a "West Jersey Tournament" featuring teams from Sussex, Morris and Warren counties.

The tourney would be a great showcase for the outstanding softball in those areas. You could institute a .500 record qualification, just like the state tournament, and then seed the tourney. Both Levens and Poots said they would support an expanded tournament with Levens saying it would be "fantastic," adding he would even want to add teams from New York and Pennsylvania.

As I said before, I'm all for a SCIL tourney, but Poots brought up another excellent point. Poots said he would support the idea of a Sussex tourney if the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association goes through with its planned realignment.

According to published reports, and first reported here at MugsMedia.com on April 25, the NJSIAA will most likely realign the conferences in the state for the 2009-10 school year, so the SCIL as we know it could be a thing of the past.

"If the realignment goes through, I think the idea of a county tournament would be very popular because teams won't be playing each other twice a year. It would be tremendous," said Poots. "That is what makes the Morris County Tournament work because the schools all don't play each other. I would love to play in the Morris County Tournament if I had the chance."

All in all, I still want a Sussex tourney, no matter what the state does. I know planning any sort of tournament in the spring is tricky with unpredictable weather, proms and graduations, but counties all over the state have been doing it for years.

I covered several Morris County finals and the atmosphere was electric and I would love for the teams in the SCIL other than Jefferson to experience that feeling.

Even with the possibility of realignment looming over their heads, the SCIL soccer coaches, as I have mentioned in the past, have been proactive and the league will have its first-ever SCIL Festival this fall, even if it is one and done. At least the coaches have laid the ground work for a future county tournament if the SCIL is broken up.

So, for purely selfish reasons, I would to see a SCIL softball tourney. Here's hoping it becomes a reality.

HAPPPY MOTHER'S DAY-You can't watch a sporting event on television without an athlete saying the proverbial, "Hi, Mom," at the camera. But there is a lot of truth to that sentiment.

In this day and age of highly-competitive youth sports, Moms play a large role in the development of their youngsters. Some may teach or coach their kids, and some may provide support, rides, and more importantly snacks! The term "Soccer Mom" can be used in all sports, so hat's off to all the mothers who keep their kids active and uniforms clean.

Enjoy your day, you deserve it. And a special thanks to my mother, who although not a huge sports fan, made sure her kids had the opportunity to play as many sports as possible while she was working and running the house.

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