2014-15 Shore Conference Football Schedule
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.
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.
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