Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League

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The Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League, abbreviated NNJIL, was a former athletic conference located in Bergen County, Passaic County and Essex County, New Jersey. The NNJIL was separated into three divisions, according to the classification they were given from the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association.

Bergen County, New Jersey County in the United States

Bergen County is the most populous county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2017 Census estimate, the county's population was 948,406, an increase of 4.8% from the 2010 United States Census, which in turn represented an increase of 20,998 (2.4%) from the 884,118 counted in the 2000 Census. Located in the northeastern corner of New Jersey and its Gateway Region, Bergen County is part of the New York City Metropolitan Area and is directly across the Hudson River from Manhattan, to which it is connected by the George Washington Bridge.

Passaic County, New Jersey County in the United States

Passaic County is a county in the U.S. state of New Jersey that is part of the New York metropolitan area.

Essex County, New Jersey County in the United States

Essex County is a county in the northeastern part of the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2017 Census estimate, the county's population was 808,285, making it the state's third-most populous county, an increase of 3.1% from the 2010 United States Census, when its population was enumerated at 783,969, in turn a decrease of 1.2% from the 793,633 enumerated in the 2000 Census. In 2010, the county dropped down to third-largest, behind Middlesex County, and was one of only two counties in the state to see a decline between 2000 and 2010. Its county seat is Newark, the most populous city in the state. It is part of the New York Metropolitan Area.

Contents

Former Membership

Division A

SchoolLocationSchool DistrictTeam NameClassification
Belleville High School Belleville Belleville School District BuccaneersNorth II, Group III
Bloomfield High School Bloomfield Bloomfield Public Schools BengalsNorth I, Group IV
Hackensack High School Hackensack Hackensack Public Schools CometsNorth I, Group IV
Bergen County Technical Schools Hackensack Bergen County Technical Schools KnightsNorth I, Group IV
Paramus High School Paramus Paramus Public Schools SpartansNorth I, Group III
Ridgewood High School Ridgewood Ridgewood Public Schools MaroonsNorth I, Group IV
Teaneck High School Teaneck Teaneck Public Schools Highwaymen (boys)
Highwaywomen (girls)		North I, Group III

Division B

SchoolLocationSchool DistrictTeam NameClassification
Barringer High School Newark Newark Public Schools Blue BearsNorth I, Group IV
Nutley High School Nutley Nutley Public Schools Maroon RaidersNorth II, Group III
Clifton High School Clifton Clifton Public Schools MustangsNorth I, Group IV
Eastside High School Paterson Paterson Public Schools GhostsNorth I, Group IV
John F. Kennedy High School Paterson Paterson Public Schools KnightsNorth I, Group IV
Montclair High School Montclair Montclair Public Schools MountiesNorth I, Group IV
Passaic High School Passaic Passaic City School District IndiansNorth I, Group IV

Division C

SchoolLocationTeam NameClassification
Bergen Catholic High School Oradell CrusadersNon-Public North A
Don Bosco Preparatory High School Ramsey IronmenNon-Public North A
Academy of the Holy Angels Demarest AngelsNon-Public North A
Immaculate Heart Academy Washington Township Blue EaglesNon-Public North A
Paramus Catholic High School Paramus PaladinsNon-Public North A
Saint Joseph Regional High School Montvale Green KnightsNon-Public North A

League sports

The Northern New Jersey Interscholastic League allowed member schools to compete in many sports spread out among three seasons. Although the league does not have a cheerleading division, many member schools have their own cheerleading teams. Other sports, such as fencing, are offered by some schools, but like cheerleading, were not part of the NNJIL.

The following is a list of the sports that the NNJIL offered. Each bullet was an individual team (as in one team for girls and one team for boys —not a combined unisex team), but in sports marked with an asterisk (*), these two teams usually practice together (depending on the school) and have almost every if not all of their meets, games, matches, competitions, or other events together. (For example, although the boys and girls track teams from a single school usually practice together and have meets at the same time, there are separate events at their meets for boys and for girls, and therefore, the teams are scored and compete separately.)

Dissolution of the Conference

In 2008, the NJSIAA presented a proposal to realign the major athletic conferences throughout New Jersey. As part of the realignment movement, the NNJIL was disbanded before the 2008-2009 season, and member schools joined three larger conferences, based largely on county affiliations.

Essex County schools Bloomfield, Belleville, Nutley, Montclair and Barringer High Schools joined the new Super Essex Conference, where they remain to this day.

Clifton, Passaic, Paterson Eastside and Paterson Kennedy (representatives from Passaic County), along with Paramus, Hackensack, Teaneck and Ridgewood (Bergen County public schools) and Bergen Catholic, Don Bosco Prep, Immaculate Heart Academy, Academy of the Holy Angels and Saint Joseph Regional (Bergen County Non-Public schools) joined the newly formed North Jersey Tri-County Conference. This new conference comprised schools from Passaic, Bergen and Hudson County.

Paramus Catholic, the last remaining school of the old NNJIL, joined the North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League (NBIL).

The North Bergen Interscholastic Athletic League, abbreviated NBIL or NBIAL, was an athletic conference of twelve high schools located in the northern part of Bergen County, New Jersey. Wayne Hills High School, located in Wayne, Passaic County, New Jersey, was the only school not located in Bergen County.

For the 2010 season, the Bergen and Passaic County schools of the North Jersey Tri-County Conference joined with the schools of the former NBIL and Northern Hills Conferences to form the Big North Conference. All Hudson County schools of the North Jersey Tri-County Conference returned to the Hudson County Interscholastic Athletic Association.

The Big North Conference is a high school athletic conference in New Jersey. It is one of six North Jersey "super athletic conferences" created by the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) in 2009. There are 41 member schools in the Big North Conference, with all members located in either Bergen County or Passaic County, New Jersey.

Impact of the NNJIL

Many of the high schools that were members of the NNJIL were seen as athletic powerhouses, and numerous state and sectional championships were won by member schools. Fierce rivalries developed in the league, especially in football, where neighboring towns hold decades-long traditional matchups, or where Non-Public schools such as Bergen Catholic and Don Bosco have battled for state championships over the past two decades.

Many of the schools in the NNJIL have been included in the most recent realignment conducted by the NJSIAA as part of the 40-member Big North Conference.

League Code of Conduct

The NNJIL encourages parents and spectators to support good sportsmanship and to be positive role models to student athletes. Smoking is not allowed (per NNJIL rules, some local laws, and state legislation) at NNJIL events. Spectators are asked to "enthusiastically encourage" their own teams, to refrain from booing and using negative remarks, and to applaud "outstanding play" by any team. State and NNJIL regulations prohibit noisemakers, signs, and banners at competitions.

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