Hammonton High School is leaving the Cape-Atlantic League for the Tri-County Conference, beginning in 2014-15.
Hammonton athletic director Frank Torcasio said today the Hammonton Board of Education approved the move last week.
Hammonton will play in the Tri-County Royal Division for most sports. Other schools in that division include Cumberland Regional, Delsea Regional and Williamstown. As is the case with all Tri-County teams, the Blue Devils will be part of the West Jersey Football League.
Torcasio said Hammonton will still try to play neighborhood rival St. Joseph in football.
Torcasio said the move was made primarily for academic reasons. He said Hammonton students will no longer have to leave school early to travel to games.
“They’re missing valuable instructional time,” he said. “Plus they get back so late from games at 10 or 11 o’clock and that hurts them getting done homework.”
Hammonton was one of six founding members of the Cape-Atlantic League in 1949.
“It’s hard to leave,” Torcasio said. “There’s a lot of tradition there. But my most important job is to do what’s right for the athletes and the school. I think (the Tri-County) is a good fit.”
