Long Branch-Red Bank football game moved; Shore Conference announces schedule for 2024
Another long-time Shore Conference football rivalry has been moved off Thanksgiving Day.
The Long Branch-Red Bank game, which celebrated its 100th renewal on Thanksgiving Day, 2023, has been moved to the seventh week of the regular season for the 2024 season, it was announced Thursday. The Shore Conference released its regular season schedule for the 2024 season for each of its 43 football playing members after approval by its Executive Committee.
The decision by the Long Branch and Red Bank school administrations means there are just three traditional regular season-ending games that will be played after the NJSIAA playoffs begin.
They are Middletown North-Middletown South; Manasquan-Wall and Asbury Park-Neptune. The Middletown North-Middletown South and Manasquan-Wall games were played on Thanksgiving Day last season. The Asbury Park-Neptune game, which had long been on Thanksgiving, has been played on the Saturday before Thanksgiving Day the last two seasons.
The Long Branch-Red Bank rivalry is the second oldest in the Shore, when it comes to games played behind Lakewood-Toms River South. Lakewood and Toms River South have played each other 101 times – 100 in the regular season finale. The Thanksgiving portion of that rivalry ended in 2019. They have not met since 2020.
More: Thanksgiving football: Long Branch-Red Bank rivalry turns 100 with an uncertain future
Long Branch leads the series with Red Bank 65-32-3.
More: A Shore football Thanksgiving Day rivalry turns 100. Here's why it has lasted
Another game that will not be played in 2024 is the one between Jackson Memorial and sister school Jackson Liberty. Those schools had played every year since 2008, which was Jackson Liberty's second varsity season. Jackson Memorial won 15 of the 16 meetings, with Jackson Liberty's lone win coming in 2018.
Slight change to Shore Conference divisional alignment
The Executive Committee made two minor adjustments to the divisional alignment it released in December.
Monmouth Regional was moved from Class C North to Class C South and Point Pleasant Beach and New Egypt were moved from Class C South into Class D North. New Egypt will become a member of the Shore Conference for the 2024-25 school year.
"When developing the nondivisional matchups for some of our small schools, we discovered some unaviodable matches that seemed uncompetitive and unfair,'' the Shore Conference said in a press release.
The statement said the changes were recommended by the Shore Conference Football Committee to the Executive Committee.
"With these moves, it creates a seven team divisional of all the Shore Conference's Group 1 schools,'' the conference said. "In making this move and providing our smallest schools with an extra divisional game, it will allow the Shore Conference to create more competitive nondivisional games across the board.''
Here is the revised 2024 divisional alignment
CLASS A NORTH
Colts Neck
Long Branch
Marlboro
Middletown South
Red Bank Catholic
Rumson-Fair Haven
CLASS A SOUTH
Brick Memorial
Donovan Catholic
Howell
Jackson Memorial
Point Pleasant Borough
Toms River North
CLASS B NORTH
Freehold Borough
Freehold Township
Matawan
Middletown North
Ocean
Red Bank
CLASS B SOUTH
Brick Township
Central
Lacey
Southern
Toms River East
Toms River South
CLASS C NORTH
Holmdel
Manalapan
Manasquan
Raritan
St. John Vianney
Wall
CLASS C SOUTH
Barnegat
Jackson Liberty
Lakewood
Manchester
Monmouth
Pinelands
CLASS D NORTH
Asbury Park
Keansburg
Keyport
Neptune
New Egypt
Point Pleasant Beach
Shore
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Shore NJ football: Conference announces 2024 schedule
