Don Bosco having a hard time filling schedule
Dallas Jackson
Rivals High Senior Analyst
A week after the New Jersey high school athletic association amended its rules to allow teams from the Big North Conference to play three out-of-state games, its highest-profile member - Ramsey (N.J.) Don Bosco Prep - is having a more difficult time setting its schedule than anticipated.
"I thought we would have had it filled already," Don Bosco head coach Greg Toal said. "We have had a couple of discussions with some teams but nothing is close to done."
Don Bosco, which finished as the RivalsHigh national champion in 2009 and No. 6 nationally in 2010, is expected to compete for another title this coming season.
"That is the goal," Toal said. "A lot of things will have to happen for us to do it, but I think this group can do it.
"We will have to stay healthy, of course, and there will have to be some luck, too."
The IronMen will also need another strong out-of-state game to ascend to the top spot nationally.
New Jersey only plays eight regular-season games. Don Bosco will have at most three playoff games.
That 11-game schedule puts Don Bosco at a major disadvantage nationally, especially when considering that teams from power states such as Texas, Ohio and Florida will be playing 14 games or more.
The additional game is a proving ground for the team - and an opportunity that Toal welcomes.
"We challenge our kids to be the best they can be," he said. "Being able to play this extra game is another opportunity to prove that."
En route to its 2009 national championship, Don Bosco defeated Concord (Calf.) De La Salle at home and went to Prattville (Ala.) High and won.
This season, the team already is scheduled to play the front end of two home-and-home series with a trip to Florida to play Bradenton Manatee and hosting Mission Viejo (Calif.) High.
The third game could be a tipping point when comparing strength of schedules later in the season.
Boston (Mass.) Boston College High was believed to be a potential opponent but the talks did not progress as expected.
Until then, Toal said his phone lines are open and, until the schedule is filled, the rest of the offseason is on hold.
"We talked about doing some 7-on-7's," he said. "But if we have to raise funds for another potential out-of-state game, we can not travel for those kinds of events."
With many teams having schedules settled, it will only become more difficult to finish the schedule.
