NJSIAA Executive Director Colleen Maguire – who also handles football – confirmed to Central Jersey Sports Radio Thursday morning its policy on how to handle power points arising from forfeits this season.
Public schools who take a forfeit win when a non-public multiplier school cancels a game will get the multiplier points as if they had won the game.
However, public schools who take a forfeit against a non-public multiplier will only get natural power points.
When the NJSIAA announced its plan devised by the Football Leagues & Conferences Committee Tuesday in an email to Athletic Directors across the state, there was no mention of what would happen with multiplier teams. But Maguire confirmed the policy to CJSR today.
In the Big Central, Sayreville stands to benefit from the decision. The Bombers’ game against St. Joseph was cancelled by the Metuchen school due to COVID. Taking a forfeit win, Sayreville will get 42 points for beating St. Joe’s, as opposed to the “natural” power points of 12 – which would be 6 for the win, 3 for their public group equivalency, and 3 residuals for the Falcons’ one win this season.
Had the tables been turned, and Sayreville forfeited the game, they would have received just two residual points – one for each win by St. Joe’s. (The Falcons would have two wins: their earlier win and the one over Sayreville).
The issue of how to count forfeits came to the fore because of continuing cancellations due to COVID, though not nearly as many as last year. The ruling also applies to teams who can’t field a team due to injuries or any similar reason.
Games cancelled after the remnants of Hurricane Ida slammed New Jersey were ruled a “no contest.” They will not be made up.
The one caveat to the forfeit ruling is that the NJSIAA is encouraging teams to make up the games if at all possible. If that were the case, there would be no forfeit. And games could be made up after the Cutoff Date for the playoffs, including on or around Thanksgiving.
As a result, the NJSIAA – and Gridiron New Jersey, it’s official playoff calculator – will not factor in forfeits until after Week 8, giving teams a chance to reschedule games if needed. It was considered by the Leagues & Conferences Committee that if other cancellations take place and dates open up, previously-forfeited games could be held on those newly open dates.