Sussex County Sports Blog

By Dan Cleary

8/23/2009 - New World For Mugs Media

Yes, folks, it is already here. That’s right, the start of the Fall of 2009 high school sports season.

I know the games don’t officially start until after Labor Day, but within the last week, football teams have donned their helmets and pads and soccer and field hockey coaches have brought the goals and cages out onto the field.

The end of August has always marked the start of a new school year, but this year, although the practices are run the same and the kids are still teenagers, is the dawning of a new age in high school sports in the state due to the realignment that was put in place last winter by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Usually at this time of the year, people often ask me how the Sussex County Interscholastic League will shake out in all the sports. Will Pope John dominate in football, cross country and girls soccer again? Will some team stop the Sparta Express in boys soccer and girls tennis? Will it be Newton and Kittatinny battling for the SCIL crown again in field hockey? And who will be the surprise team to look out for in any of the aforementioned sports.

But you know what? The most common question I have been asked the last couple of weeks, and probably will be asked for the rest of the school year, is this: How is Mugs Media going to cover all the teams this year due to the realignment which broke up the SCIL after a terrific 34-year run?

And the answer? We have no clue. Gotcha. Just kidding, of course. Just like Jerry Morelli said at the end of this weekend’s Sports Beat, the schools in our coverage area haven’t moved, no one has changed the rules that we can’t cover high school sports any more and good old Service Electric Cable Television Channel 10 isn’t going anywhere.

So here is the deal. Like the schools themselves, it has been quite an adjustment for us here at Mugs Media when it comes to scheduling our Games of the Week and what contests we will shoot highlights for the Sports Beat.

In years past, it was a no-brainer. Kittatinny was playing Newton in field hockey, we were there. A Vernon-Sparta boys soccer game? Mark it down as a must cover. And I don’t even have to mention anything involved with Pope John and Sparta.

That has all changed and we are going to try and be as fair as possible (as we do all the time) in our coverage. But what constitutes a big game nowadays is the big question. And only our viewers can answer that.

On paper, Sparta against Delbarton in boys soccer is a great showdown. Sparta played Delbarton last year in an independent clash and pulled out a thrilling win. But now the teams are division rivals. Is that game more important than a Wallkill Valley-Newton boys soccer game in the smaller school division?

Like beauty, the answer lies in the eye of the beholder, but in the world of local cable television, if you have two locals going at it, to service our viewers we will most likely opt for the local teams.

Now the six of the former small schools from the SCIL, Hopatcong, Jefferson, Kittatinny, Lenape Valley, Newton, and Wallkill Valley will be playing each other still in Division C of the Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, so the natural rivalries in certain sports among those teams will still exist.

Now, don’t worry fans of Sparta, Pope John, High Point and Vernon. Just because you will be playing in a 15-team monstrosity with fellow Group 3 and Group 4 schools from Morris County in soccer and field hockey, we will not ignore you.

We have managed a way to get everyone on at least once and our schedule is not set in stone, either. Plus there is the new Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex Tournament which will give us the opportunity to showcase the big schools as well.

Football will be tougher when it comes to shooting highlights. Logistically, it is impossible for Mugs Media to get highlights from every game when there are nine different games going on. We will try to hit all the home games, if possible, and we are thinking about adding another highlight package to our show.

And just like the NJAC itself, our coverage is a work in progress and I hope we can keep everyone happy, but we know that is impossible. But I can guarantee you, we will do our best to continue to serve the viewers of the Sports Beat and the Games of the Week with the best local sports coverage around no matter what type of realignment is thrown our way.

JUICED UP—Steve Politi of the Star-Ledger had an interesting piece in the paper Sunday in which he ranked the top 25 most influential people in sports in the Garden State.

“The Juice List” was pretty much dead on with former governor and current state Senate President Dick Codey on top of the list. I liked the idea that Politi also didn’t leave out the power brokers on the high school level and had Steve Timko of the NJSIAA, Bob Hurley of St. Anthony basketball and Nancy Williams of Shore Regional on the list.

This got me to thinking, (yes, a very scary thought), who would make the list in Sussex County sports? Maybe at a later date I will come up with 25 people, but for right now, I have a couple in mind.

First off, although he is retired, former Wallkill Valley AD Mike Van Zile. The Godfather of the realignment movement, Van Zile helped changed the landscape of high school sports and he did it with the class and style of a top-notch diplomat.

Whether you agree with him or not, Van Zile put his money where his mouth was and did what he thought was best and bravo to him.

Monsignor Kieran McHugh of Pope John. There is not a more visible administrator in the county than “Father.” He is a tireless ambassador for Pope John and still has a lot of clout with the NJSIAA. Football coach Vic Paternostro is the master on the gridiron, but it is Father who has helped mold Pope John into the athletic and academic beacon it has become.

So who do think should be on a Sussex County Juice List? Drop us a line and let us know.

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

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Sussex County Sports Blog

By Dan Cleary

8/23/2009 - New World For Mugs Media