Let the playoffs begin

Gotta love when the postseason starts here in NJ for high school football. With a new and revamped playoff system, all the teams that qualified are ready to roll this weekend. Looking forward to getting back behind the microphone with Kevin & Ed on Friday night, down at the home of Raiders (seems like it has been forever but only two weeks).

I don't think there is a team around the Shore Conference with more to prove than Toms River East. The Raiders bring an undefeated record, 8-0, and a high powered offense into their first round matchup with Washington Township. Why all the added pressure on Charlie Diskin's bunch, because all the talent that TRE has had over the years they have not one state title to show for it. Now, let's be fair, state titles are not easy to come by so I think in a way it is a little over the to brand the Raiders a bust in the states. They play in a very tough group, South Jersey IV, and do not get the benefit of a very difficult regular season schedule.

This year is a good case in point as they breezed thru the Constiution division, blowing out most by sizable margins, and not able to play the toughest team (TRN) on their schedule until Thanksgiving week. It is not easy to win games in the postseason let alone state titles BUT I think it is fair to expect the Raiders are not one and done this year as they have been in the past.

This is a year that all the Central Jersey brackets have a good shot to have a Shore team win the section. Asbury is a clear favorite in Group 1, seems like every team in CJ II is a Shore Conference team, Middletown South is the top seed in CJ III and would love a return to the top, and Howell will look to avenge its only loss of the season as one of the top dogs in CJ IV. I don't see any state champs coming from South Jersey this season and of course RBC has a crazy draw.

GOOD LUCK ALL SHORE TEAMS!!!