Statewide playoffs began in 1975 with four teams per group until 1998, when they expanded to eight teams per group. I always liked the proposal to expand the groups to eight teams because there were plenty of teams that were left out who deserved a chance with the four team groups. Many ended up their seasons with one or two losses and no playoffs. These teams deserved a chance and this is not the “everybody gets a trophy” mentality. This comes from somebody who does not like the current five group format we currently have. Some will say some of these teams played an inferior schedule and there is some truth; nonetheless, they deserved a chance. Some of them would have advanced in the playoffs, but we will never know.
Below is a tribute to teams with one or two losses, plus one who didn’t lose a game and had a tie.
8-0-1
1993 Rutherford – A 7-7 tie with Secaucus in the eighth game cost them the playoffs. Had they been 8-0, the bracket would have been expanded (they were Group 2 or 3 that year). Secaucus was 7-2-1 and made the playoffs in Group 1 at 6-1-1.
8-1
1996 Bogota – Lost 13-6 to a 7-2 Hasbrouck Heights team. Beat 8-1 Wallington and Parochial B playoff participant St. Mary’s.
1984 Cliffside Park – Lone loss was to 6-2-2 Ridgefield Park. Beat Group 2 champion, Dumont, a 6-2-1 Fort Lee squad, and 5-4 River Dell team – the first game Greg Toal coached there.
1993 Cresskill – Lost the opener to a 7-2 Park Ridge team. Gave 8-2 Wallington their lone regular season loss. Also beat 7-2 Bogota.
1983 Hasbrouck Heights – They allowed 60 points for the year and lost to an unbeaten Emerson team, 16-0.
1994 Lodi – Lone loss was to 8-2 and Group 4 playoff participant, Passaic Tech, 17-14. One of their wins came against 8-2 Glen Rock, 20-3.
1986 Pascack Valley – Lost to undefeted Group 3 champion Bergenfield, 18-0. Beat 7-2-1 playoff team in Old Tappan.
1990 Passaic Tech – Lost the opener to Mahwah, 12-7. Beat state finalist in Lodi and playoff teams in Mahwah (7-2-1) and Waldwick (7-3), plus 7-2 Pompton Lakes.
1992 Passaic Tech – Only loss was on opening day to state champion Lodi, 11-6. Beat 8-2 Pompton Lakes, who made the playoffs.
1995 Passaic Tech – Lost to state semi-finalist Glen Rock, 6-0. Beat 7-2 Lodi. Being a Group 4 in a league with Group 1 and 2′s hurt their playoff chances.
1991 Ramsey – Lost to 4-4-1 Fair Lawn, 10-8. Beat state finalist Wayne Hills, 22-20, and 6-2-1 Pascack Valley.
1981 Ridgefield Park – Lost an independent game to Lakeland, 28-6, who made the state final.
1982 Wallington – Their only loss was to 9-1 playoff team, Emerson, 20-7. Beat 6-2-1 Norrth Arlington.
1996 Wallington – Lost to 8-1 Bogota, 33-30, in week two. Beat 7-2 Hasbrouck Heights and Parochial B playoff team St. Mary’s.
1986 Wood-Ridge – Losing to 3-6 Bergen Tech in their third game hurt them. Beat state finalist Hasbrouck Heights and 6-2-1 Ridgefield.
7-1-1
1975 Cliffside Park – In their first to games, they lost to Grooup 3 champion Ridgefield Park (10-0-1) and tied 6-2-1 Sadddle Brook, 0-0. Went on to win their final seven, including 6-2-1 Tenafly.
1978 Hackensack – Lost to 10-1 state finalist Passaic Valley and tied 5-3-1 Clifton. The Passaic Valley loss was the eighth game and probably knocked Hackensack out of the playoffs.Top team they beat was 6-3 Fair Lawn.
1977 Hawthorne – Tied 3-5-1 Passaic Tech in the opener, 0-0, and lost to playoff participant Ramsey, 7-6, the following week. Won the final seven, including 7-2 Waldwick.
1994 Northern Highlands – Were 6-0 before they met two playoff teams, losing to Ramsey, 7-6, and battling to a 21-21 tie with Indian Hills. Beat 6-3 Wayne Hills in the last year to date they failed to make the playoffs.
1983 Ramsey – Were 7-0, before losing to 7-2 Passaic Tech and tying 8-1-1 playoff team Mahwah on Thanksgiving. Beat a state finalist Saddle Brook team coached by Greg Toal.
1977 Saddle Brook – Lost to 4-3-2 Dumont and tied state champion Cliffside Park. Beat 9-2 state finalist Tenafly.
1981 St. Joe’s – Lost to 6-2-1 Don Bosco and tied 2-6-1 Eastside. At that time, they played in the smaller Catholic school league, the NNJPC, before moving to the NNJIL the following year. Only played the larger schools in the league that year and five independent games.
6-1-2
1983 Indian Hills – Lost to 3-6 Demarest and tied 7-2-1 playoff team Northern Highlands and 4-4-1 Westwood. Beat state champion Ramapo.
1984 Lyndhurst – Lost to state finalist North Arlington and tied 7-2-1 playoff team Becton and 5-3-1 Rutherford. Beat 7-2 Park Ridge.
Other
1982 Northern Highlands (6-3/8-1) – The Highlanders had to forfeit their first two games, making them 6-3, instead of 8-1.
7-2
1985 Bergenfield
1990 Bergenfield
1988 Bergen Tech
1979 Bogota
1993 Bogota
1979 Cliffside Park
1991 Cliffside Park
1981 Clifton
1987 Clifton
1980 Cresskill
1982 Cresskill
1994 Cresskill
1995 Cresskill
1990 Demarest
1993 Demarest
1978 DePaul
1989 Don Bosco
1976 Elmwood Park
1993 Elmwood Park
1985 Emerson
1984 Fair Lawn
1986 Fair Lawn
1995 Fair Lawn
1985 Glen Rock
1989 Glen Rock
1997 Glen Rock
1980 Hasbrouck Heights
1981 Hasbrouck Heights
1996 Hasbrouck Heights
1980 Indian Hills
1982 Indian Hills
1976 Lodi
1995 Lodi
1995 Lyndhurst
1988 Manchester
1984 Mahwah
1985 Mahwah
1989 Mahwah
1995 Mahwah
1981 North Arlington
1980 Northern Highlands
1994 Palisades Park
1984 Park Ridge
1989 Park Ridge
1993 Park Ridge
1997 Park Ridge
1980 Pascack Valley
1979 Passaic
1984 Passaic
1992 Passaic
1983 Passaic Tech
1993 Passaic Tech
1990 Pompton Lakes
1981 Ramapo
1984 Ramapo
1987 Ridgewood
1977 Rutherford
1983 Rutherford
1992 Rutherford
1986 Saddle Brook
1977 Waldwick
1981 Wayne Hills
1986 Wayne Valley
6-2
1976 Don Bosco
6-2-1
1981 DePaul
1986 DePaul
1981 Don Bosco
1987 Eastside
1984 Fort Lee
1981 Glen Rock
1979 Hasbrouck Heights
1989 Hasbrouck Heights
1978 Indian Hills
1989 Indian Hills
1975 Kennedy
1993 Lakeland
1987 New Milford
1991 Pascack Valley
1977 Passaic
1990 Passaic Valley
1991 Paterson Catholic
1979 Queen of Peace
1985 Ridgefield
1986 Ridgefield
1987 Ridgefield
1989 Rutherford
1990 Rutherford
1975 Saddle Brook
1975 Tenafly
1990 Wayne Hills
1987 West Milford