Skyland Conference news

I've written something in Saturday's paper about a couple of Skyland Conference baseball coaches and their feelings about the Skyland Valley teams having to play "up'' against Skyland Raritan teams twice during the regular season.

There is a Skyland Conference athletic director's meeting Wednesday and it appears that it's very likely Valley Division schools won't have to play their bigger cross-divisional foes twice starting next year.

That would open up some spots for non-conference games for the smaller schools like Bound Brook, Manville, South Hunterdon and Belvidere. Softball teams follow the same schedule.

I think it's the best way to go. The smaller schools should get the opportunity to play more schools their own size, but -- at the same time -- get a chance to play bigger schools, which in most years will have better clubs. You're only going to get better if you get samplings of better competition. Though beating teams 19-0, 17-2 isn't going to help either. There's got to be a better balance.