"It's something we've been waiting for," said Williamstown head coach Frank Fucetola, whose team competed and won the Tri-County Royal title last season. "We've tried to get into a larger group for the past 4 or 5 years. We welcome it. It's a great idea."
Williamstown epitomizes why this change was necessary and endorsed by the 65 programs. The Braves compete in Group 4, the largest classification in New Jersey, and struggled to get power points with a schedule that included Group 3 and Group 2 schools. That won't be an issue, as the Braves will compete in the American Division against Group 4 schools such as Washington Township - whom the Braves will now face on Thanksgiving Day - Lenape, Eastern and defending Group 4 champion Cherokee.
"We had a great rivalry with Delsea [on Thanksgiving], but we'll just start a new rivalry with another great program," Fucetola said. "But we have a lot of games before that."
Still, there is a growing process, and the next 2 years will allow for plenty of change and possibly even some growth.
"It never changes a whole lot for Group 1," Florence head coach and athletic director Joe Frappoli said. "We're under 500 students, so there isn't a whole lot they can do, unless you play all Group 1 schools. Basically, all we're doing is exchanging Woodrow Wilson for Ewing and Burlington Township, which is a big school, for Holy Cross."
Florence, a traditional Group 1 power and mainstay in the Burlington County Freedom - in which the rest of its sports program will continue to compete - will now face Liberty Division opponents Ewing, Bordentown and Robbinsville.
"We're playing the rest of the teams we played," Frappoli said. "The one thing I don't like is the small division. We end up playing all of our division games in the first 4 weeks, and I believe you judge a team on how it plays a full season."
