SCILFball.com v2.5
SUSSEX COUNTY INTERSCHOLASTIC LEAGUE FOOTBALL

by Joe Schwork

What a season

As I write this, I realize that this year was the greatest ending to a storybook history. This year had everything - OT thrillers, comebacks, great coaching, great individual performances, great team efforts, three league champions, and a sectional champion. This year was the year the SCIL proved it was no ordinary, below-average league. No, the SCIL proved not only that it is one the most competitively balanced leagues in the state, but also, the league could very easily compete with the vast majority of schools in the state of NJ. The league went 6-0 in consolation games; two of the four states-qualified schools made it past the first round; and one of those made it to Rutgers and brought home a championship. The SCIL proved this year that it has a unique blend of coaching and play that goes a long way into developing champions. Run-dominated teams like Vernon, Lenape Valley, and Pope John helped many schools experience how to play against the run. More balanced teams like Sparta, Jefferson, and Wallkill Valley showed how to defend a run/throw combination. Throw-heavy teams like Newton taught defensive backs how to defend the pass. Keeping all of this in mind, the league was able to put an array of products on the field, each unique and good in a lot of ways, which helped each SCIL school outside the conference.

I would like to extent a personal congratulations to every team in the SCIL, but especially the tri-champions Pope John, Sparta, and N1G2 champs Jefferson. This season was by far one of the best season in recent history to be played out.

I tip my hat to...

1. Jefferson Falcons and Coach Joe Mattessich. This was one of the storied teams in the SCIL. The stingy defense and a high-powered offense led Jefferson to an 11-1 record, its third SCIL title, and its third State title. Just three seasons ago, Jefferson was 3-7, and after a states appearance last year, the Falcons were able to capture the crown. On their way to championship, Jefferson beat defending champs River Dell in the second round (who was riding a 23-game win streak) and 2007 N2G2 champion West Essex (riding a 16-game win streak).
2. Sparta Spartans and Coach Pat Shea. Show of hands...who expected a Spartan team that finished 3-7 last year to win the SCIL title this year? I am one of those who thought at best, Sparta was middle of the pack. I am thankful I was proven wrong. Pat Shea did a great job at returning the storied program back to where it belongs - at the top.
3. Wallkill Valley. Who would have thought that the Rangers would be in a position to say they played the N1G2 champs to OT? The Rangers did a great job this year going 5-5. The team and coaching staff deserve a lot of credit. If the program continues its upward swing, the Rangers could be seeing the playoffs real soon.
4. Pope John. I have to be honest; I did not see this team as a league champion, especially when the starting QB and RB went down with either injuries or suspensions. The Lions deserve credit that the team was able to rebound from adversity and be a champion.
5. Sussex Tech. The varsity program made a comeback this year. Although no wins for Sussex Tech on their own, the program showed that with the right mix of players, schedule, and experience, the Mustangs could be a .500 team in the coming years.
6. QBs Ryan Gresik (Newt), Matt Briggs (WV), Gavin McCarney (Jef), and Doug D'Angelo (Spa). These four QBs threw for more than 1200 yards this season. The league that used to be known for its run domination definitely had a lot of quality QBs. By the way, each one of these four had at least 11 TDs.
7. RBs Kevin Murphy (Jef), James Nance (Newt), and Tyler Pappas (Ver). Each had at least 1000 yards rushing this season. Also, I have to mention QB Chase Kieffer (HP) who rushed for almost 1000 yards as a quarterback.
8. WRs James Neal (WV) and Phil Greiner (Spa). Each had at least 700 yards receiving this year. WR Sean Hutchison (Jef) led the league with 11 TD receptions.

Games of the Year

1. Week 1: Sparta 21, Jefferson 27 OT
2. Week 3: Newton 13, Hopatcong 6
3. Week 3: Lenape Valley 19, Wallkill Valley 14
4. Week 3: Sparta 23, Pope John 6
5. Week 5: Wallkill Valley 27, Hopatcong 26
6. Week 5: Lenape Valley 22, Newton 20
7. Week 6: Newton 20, Wallkill Valley 21 OT
8. Week 7: Sparta 15, Lenape Valley 14
9. Week 9: Jefferson 27, Wallkill Valley 21 OT
10. States Rnd 1: (7) Sparta 14, (2) Wayne Valley 10
11. States Rnd 2: (3) Jefferson 19, (2) River Dell 7
12. States Championship: (3) Jefferson 21, (1) West Essex 6

SCIL is finished

Since 1999 (10 years), the SCIL had eight different league champions. In a 10-team league, this is simply amazing. In a sick, twisted way, the SCIL ended itself by mistake. The players of the future may forget about the SCIL and concentrate on the newly-formed Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference. But what happened this year, and the last 33 years, made this league so great. Designed to reduce travel, the SCIL was formed not knowing what the competition would be like. Now we know...the SCIL won 35 state titles - all in either North 1, Group 2; North 2, Group 2; North Parochial B; or Non-Public Group 2. 35 championships in 33 years. The SCIL proved to be one of the most dominating group 2 leagues in the history of the state. But - for good or bad - the SCIL could not necessarily prove itself worthy once making it past group 2. Sure, Vernon won a first round game in 2005 (N1G4), sure Jefferson and Sparta have made it past the first round in N1G3 a few times, and sure Pope John made it past the first round a few time as Non-Public Group 3, but what does this mean without a championship. Did schools outgrow the league? Was the SCIL not the right fit for large schools? I argue on the contrary. The SCIL proved that the diversity of competition forces schools to learn how to play defense. Defense is what wins championships. The league was perfect for every school in it - it was the scheduling that made the league fall apart. Like I always said, adding a non-league game here and there would have went a long way to securing powerpoints, playing competition that was of like size and ability. Remember all the SCIL schools who had a mid range seed in N1G2 with 3 or 4 losses? This was really only possible because of the wide range of schools sizes within the SCIL. This effect will basically be gone and now it will be a little more challenging to get into states with a 4-4 or 5-3 record.

The SCIL will always be missed and in good time, I hope to see the SCIL make a comeback and get back together somehow. Until then, I wish all SCIL schools the best of luck next year.

Whats in store for next year

The SCIL is over. This website is now at a crossroads and has a number of options on the table. The site could either fold, could cover the same schools next year and add slightly more coverage for the other Northwest Jersey Athletic Conference, cover all the schools in the new league, expand the coverage to only the divisions that have Sussex schools in it, or merge with other sites. Suggestions will be greatly appreciated and can be submitted either to the forum or to my email. A decision will be made by March and if the site continues, it will most likely get a facelift and a lot of new features. If the site continues, I hope to improve the live scoring feature - which means I will need a lot more volunteers from all schools. Sponsorships will need to grow to help fund the site. 80-90% of all revenues for this site are invested back into the site. Continue to check this site or the sister site http://nwjac.scilfball.com for the up-to-date news concerning the new league and any closing news for the SCIL.

Special Thanks...

This season was one of the most memorable ever. This site has been giving you SCIL coverage the last two years and this was by far, a more successful sophomore year than I intended. This site has had record traffic this year and has grown a lot. I would like to personally thank every SCIL fan, parent, athlete, and everyone who has visited this site. If it wasn't for you, this site would not be where it is today.

I would also like to thank the following people for helping with either the content of the site or the live scoring (I hope I do not forget anyone, but if I do, let me know and I will add you to the list). Everyone was awesome. Thank You!

Bob Moschella
Barbara Matus
Rob Ryan
Michael Moschella
Jeff DeYoung
Mike Prebor
Joe and JoEllen Neal
Patricia Murphy

 

As always, feel free to email me if you have any questions, comments, or suggests!