ASBURY PARK – Friday night’s high school football game between the Keansburg and Asbury Park visitors has been canceled, officials from the two school districts said.
Shore Conference President Harry Chebookjian, athletic director at Shore Regional High School, said Friday afternoon that the game will not be rescheduled.
For reasons of public safety, Asbury Park Press does not disclose the reason for the cancellation.
“Through positive collaboration and conversation between the Asbury Park School District, the Keansburg School District, the NJSIAA and the Shore Conference, the Friday night football game between Asbury Park and Keansburg was deemed void and will be rescheduled,” Chebookjian said. .
high school football:Shore Conference Football Scoreboard Highlights Week 6
Chebookjian said no power points are lost or awarded in regards to qualifying for the NJSIAA playoffs.
“Instead of being divided by seven (the number of games it will have played by the October 22 deadline for playoff qualification), Asbury Park’s power points will be divided by six (the number of games Asbury Park will play now before the deadline). It won’t affect them at all,” Chebookjian said.
Prior to the discussion about declaring the game a no contest, it was unclear if the game would be rescheduled. Keansburg officials told Asbury Park High School Principal Bridget O’Neill on Friday that the school would lose the game, said Chanta Jackson, a spokeswoman for Asbury Park Schools. But a statement from Keansburg Superintendent Kathleen O’Hare said Keansburg was requesting that the game be rescheduled.
“It’s unfortunate that someone is stealing this opportunity from our students,” Jackson said. “These young men who were impacted by ineligibility earlier in the season have worked hard to get back in shape to participate in sports, so we do not make this decision lightly. Both the safety of the students and the of the community are paramount”.
Get our Week 6 predictions:Shore Conference football divisional races come into focus
The matchup was also scheduled to be a homecoming celebration for Asbury Park. The festivities, including recognition of senior football players, cheerleaders and homecoming court, will now take place during the annual rivalry game against Neptune, Jackson said.
Although the game Asbury Park vs. Neptune is traditionally played on Thanksgiving Day, administrators have agreed to modify the schedule, Jackson said. The game will take place at 11 am on November 19 at Neptune. The Blue Bishops Senior Recognition Ceremony will be held at 10:30 am on the same day.
Earlier this season, Asbury Park was forced to lose its own first game after not having enough eligible players.
Jenna Calderón covers breaking news and cold cases in Monmouth and Ocean counties. Before hitting the press, she covered The Queen City for Cincinnati magazine in Ohio. Contact her at 330-590-3903; [email protected]