A host of teams scrapping their Thanksgiving games, a long-awaited Red Bank Catholic-Manalapan showdown and more highlight the 2014-15 Shore Conference football schedules, which were finalized by the Shore Conference football committee on Tuesday.

Of the Shore Conference's 43 teams, 21 of them will not have Thanksgiving games, with the majority moving their rivalry game to the season opener. The divisions also have realigned, with some teams moving to new spots. You can check out the new realignments here. As for the Shore Conference scheduling, that is done in two-year cycles, and the schedules are determined by a computer program.

The Jackson Memorial-Jackson Liberty, Toms River East-Toms River North, Manalapan-Marlboro, Freehold-Freehold Township, St. John Vianney-Matawan, Colts Neck-Howell, and Point Beach-Shore rivalry games are all before Thanksgiving. Shore now has a new Thanksgiving game with Rumson-Fair Haven, which will no longer play Red Bank Catholic. The Caseys will not have a Thanksgiving game and will not play Rumson for at least the two-year duration of the schedules because RBC has switched divisions. RBC and Rumson had been Thanksgiving rivals for 62 years before the change.

Mike Cordova and top-ranked Red Bank Catholic move into Class B North in 2014 and will also face St. Joseph's-Metuchen, Manalapan and Jackson Memorial outside the division. (Photo by Bill Normile)
Mike Cordova and top-ranked Red Bank Catholic move into Class B North in 2014 and will also face St. Joseph's-Metuchen, Manalapan and Jackson Memorial outside the division. (Photo by Bill Normile)
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The two teams that have ranked No. 1 and No. 2 in the Shore Conference the past two seasons, Red Bank Catholic and Manalapan, will finally meet on the field in a game at RBC on the weekend of Oct. 25.

RBC, which has finished No. 1 in the Shore the last three years, is now playing bigger schools after being realigned into what looks to be a rugged Class B North division. The Caseys will take on Long Branch, Neptune, Wall, Colts Neck, Red Bank Regional and Ocean as part of the new B North, and will play St. Joseph's-Metuchen, Manalapan and Jackson Memorial, a non-public program and two Group V playoff teams, outside of the division.

A team that appears to have been dealt a daunting hand is Long Branch, which will play RBC, Carteret, Wall, Colts Neck, Rumson-Fair Haven, Ocean, Matawan and Neptune before playing old rival Red Bank Regional on Thanksgiving. Seven of those nine teams were playoff teams last season, including a Carteret team that beat Long Branch in Central Jersey Group III, and Matawan went 7-3 even though it missed the postseason.

Manalapan, which graduates a tremendous senior class, also has plenty of landmines on its schedule with RBC, Lacey and Sayreville outside of Class A North, which it has won four straight times. Brick, which defeated Colts Neck to win the Central Jersey Group IV title this past fall, will face the Cougars in a regular-season game on the road on the weekend of Oct. 25.

Class B South champion and South Jersey Group III finalist Barnegat will also get two good nondivisional tests with games against Manasquan and Matawan. Manasquan will also face Ocean outside Class A Central. Defending Central Jersey Group II champion Rumson will also renew acquaintances with Matawan in the Bulldogs' season opener after a first-week bye. The two teams split a pair of CJ Group II championship games in 2010 and 2011.

The crossover games with the Greater Middlesex Conference also will continue for the next two years, with the majority of them involving the Group I schools in Class B Central.

The schedules are below and were provided by Nick Pizzulli of the Shore Conference executive committee. Scroll down for the week-by-week schedule.

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Shore Conference 2014 Week-By-Week schedule

Week One

Sept. 12-13

Brick at Brick Memorial

Jackson Memorial at Jackson Liberty

Lacey at Toms River North

Southern at Toms River East

Toms River South at Msgr. Donovan

Manalapan at Marlboro

Freehold at Freehold Twp.

South Brunswick at Middletown South

Colts Neck at Howell

Middletown North at Perth Amboy

Matawan at St. John Vianney

Holmdel at Monmouth

Manasquan at Raritan

Wall at Red Bank

Neptune at Ocean

Long Branch at Red Bank Catholic

Lakewood at Central

Pinelands at Point Boro

Manchester at Barnegat

Shore at Keyport

Point Beach at Asbury Park

Keansburg at Mater Dei Prep

 

Week Two

Sept. 19-20

Brick Memorial at Toms River North

Brick at Southern

Jackson Memorial at Lacey

Toms River East at Toms River South

Freehold Twp. at Manalapan

Howell at Freehold

Middletown South at Neptune

Marlboro at Middletown North

St. John Vianney at Holmdel

Monmouth at Manasquan

Rumson-FH at Matawan

Red Bank at Colts Neck

Ocean at Wall

Red Bank Catholic at St. Joseph’s-Metuchen

Carteret at Long Branch

Msgr. Donovan at Point Boro

Jackson Liberty at Manchester

Lakewood at Pinelands

Central at Barnegat

Spotswood at Shore

Metuchen at Asbury Park

Keyport at South River

Point Beach at Middlesex

Mater Dei Prep at Dunellen

Highland Park at Keansburg

Week Three

Sept. 26-27

Lacey at Brick Memorial

Toms River East at Brick

Southern at Jackson Memorial

Toms River North at Toms River South

Sayreville at Manalapan

Freehold at Middletown North

Middletown South at Marlboro

Howell at Freehold Twp.

Central at St. John Vianney

Monmouth at Rumson-FH

Matawan at Raritan

Manasquan at Holmdel

Woodbridge at Colts Neck

Wall at Long Branch

Neptune at Red Bank Catholic

Ocean at Red Bank

Pinelands at Msgr. Donovan

Barnegat at Jackson Liberty

Manchester at Lakewood

Point Boro at Bishop Ahr

Keansburg at Shore

Asbury Park at Mater Dei Prep

Keyport at Point Beach

Week Four

Oct. 3-4

Toms River East at Brick Memorial

Brick at Jackson Memorial

Toms River South at Lacey

Howell at Southern

Toms River North at Marlboro

Middletown North at Manalapan

Raritan at Freehold

Freehold Twp. at Middletown South

St. John Vianney at Rumson-FH

Matawan at Monmouth

Ocean at Manasquan

Long Branch at Colts Neck

Red Bank Catholic at Wall

Red Bank at Neptune

Barnegat at Msgr. Donovan

Jackson Liberty at Lakewood

Central at Pinelands

Point Boro at Manchester

Shore at Dunellen

Asbury Park at Middlesex

Metuchen at Keyport

Spotswood at Point Beach

Mater Dei Prep at Highland Park

South River at Keansburg

Week Five

Oct. 10-11

Brick Memorial at Old Bridge

Wall at Brick

Toms River North at Jackson Memorial

Manalapan at Lacey

Freehold Twp. at Toms River East

Marlboro at Freehold

Middletown South at Howell

Middletown North at Ocean

Manchester at St. John Vianney

Pinelands at Monmouth

Raritan at Red Bank

Manasquan at Barnegat

Spotswood at Holmdel

Colonia at Matawan

Rumson-FH at Long Branch

Colts Neck at Red Bank Catholic

Jackson Liberty at Msgr. Donovan

Point Boro at Central

Keyport at Highland Park

Point Beach at Dunellen

Mater Dei Prep at South River

Keansburg at Metuchen

Week 6

Oct. 17-18

Jackson Memorial at Brick Memorial

Lacey at Brick

Southern at Toms River South

Toms River East at Toms River North

Middletown South at Manalapan

Freehold at Wall

Howell at Middletown North

Freehold Twp. at Marlboro

St. John Vianney at Raritan

Monmouth at JFK-Iselin

Rumson-FH at Manasquan

Matawan at Holmdel

Neptune at Colts Neck

Ocean at Long Branch

Red Bank at Red Bank Catholic

Msgr. Donovan at Lakewood

Pinelands at Jackson Liberty

Manchester at Central

Barnegat at Point Boro

Shore at Mater Dei Prep

Asbury Park at Keyport

Keansburg at Point Beach

Week Seven

Oct. 24-25

Brick Memorial at Middletown South

Brick at Colts Neck

Jackson Memorial at Toms River South

Jackson Liberty at Lacey

Toms River North at Southern

Freehold at Toms River East

Manalapan at Red Bank Catholic

Monroe at Howell

New Brunswick at Freehold Twp.

East Brunswick at Marlboro

Msgr. Donovan at St. John Vianney

Point Boro at Raritan

Holmdel at Pinelands

Long Branch at Matawan

Lakewood at Rumson-FH

Wall at Neptune

South River at Shore

Dunellen at Asbury Park

Keyport at Spotswood

Highland Park at Point Beach

Mater Dei Prep at Metuchen

Middlesex at Keansburg

Week Eight

Oct. 31-Nov. 1

Toms River South at Brick Memorial

Brick at Toms River North

Jackson Memorial at Toms River East

Lacey at Southern

Manalapan at Freehold

Marlboro at Howell

Freehold Twp. at Edison

Middletown North at North Brunswick

Monmouth at St. John Vianney

Raritan at Rumson-FH

Manasquan at Matawan

Red Bank at Holmdel

Colts Neck at Wall

Long Branch at Neptune

Red Bank Catholic at Ocean

Central at Msgr. Donovan

Jackson Liberty at Point Boro

Lakewood at Barnegat

Pinelands at Manchester

Point Beach at Shore

Asbury Park at Keansburg

Mater Dei Prep at Keyport

 

Week Nine

Nov. 7-8

Brick Memorial at Southern

Toms River South at Brick

Red Bank Catholic at Jackson Memorial

Toms River East at Lacey

Neptune at Toms River North

Howell at Manalapan

Freehold at Middletown South

Middletown North at Freehold Twp.

Marlboro at J.P. Stevens

St. John Vianney at Manasquan

Raritan at Monmouth

Holmdel at Rumson-FH

Barnegat at Matawan

Colts Neck at Ocean

Manchester at Red Bank

Central at Jackson Liberty

Point Boro at Lakewood

Shore at Asbury Park

Keyport at Keansburg

Point Beach at Mater Dei Prep

 

Thanksgiving games

Nov. 26-27

Southern at Central

Lakewood at Toms River South

Middletown South at Middletown North

Monmouth at Ocean

Holmdel at Raritan

Wall at Manasquan

Rumson-FH at Shore

Asbury Park at Neptune

Red Bank at Long Branch

Msgr. Donovan at Manchester

Barnegat at Pinelands

 

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