Posted: Jan 24, 2023
JACKALS ANNOUNCE JOHNNY BRIGGS CLASSIC
The New Jersey Jackals announced today one of the first non-Frontier League events to take place at the renovated Hinchliffe Stadium will be the First Annual Johnny Briggs High School Classic. Featuring five games in one day, Sunday May 7th will feature 10 of the nation's top high school baseball teams competing in the newest Classic, named for one of Paterson's native sons. Briggs was a 12 year Major Leaguer for the Phillies, Brewers and Twins.
The slate begins at 10:30am as Passaic County Technical Institute (PCTI) will face off against Eastside High School in Paterson. The Bulldogs of PCTI recorded a 25-6 record last season, winning the Passaic County Tournament over Clifton before falling to Livingston in the North Jersey Section 1, Group 4 Final. Eastside posted a 4-14-1 campaign, but the Ghosts still put a scare into teams, as four of those losses were by three runs or less and their tie was a 10-10 donnybrook against Lakeland. They also scored 29 runs in two games against Kennedy High School, their Paterson rivals.
The second contest is scheduled for a 12:45pm start, bringing St. Mary High School in Rutherford to play Stony Brook High School of New York. The Gaels of St. Mary cruised to a 20-6 mark last year, including 11-1 in the Meadowlands Division of the NJIC. Their pitching staff recorded 6 shutouts while their potent offense tallied 168 runs, an average of 6.5 runs per game. Stony Brook was similarly successful, though their season ended with a loss to Poly Prep in the NYSAIS title game.
Speaking of Poly Prep, they will be designated the home team in the 3:00pm contest against St. Joseph's Montvale. The Blue Devils are among the blue bloods of New York high school baseball, holding 42 IVY Prep League Championships (14 of which were consecutive), 10 NYSAIS titles and have developed 7 MLB draft picks. St. Joseph's Montvale compiled a 22-9 record last year but fell short in the Bergen County Tournament, losing the Final 9-7 to Old Tappan. They were also ousted from the state tournament by powerhouse Seton Hall Prep in a competitive 4-2 semifinal contest.
The fourth leg of the classic, slated for 5:15pm, pits Citius against the Bo Porter Academy. Citius has been recognized as one of the top travel programs in the country. They have proudly secured nearly 1,000 college commitments since 2010. Bo Porter Academy is named for the former Major Leaguer and Houston Astros manager. Since its founding in 2021, BPA has become a prestigious breeding ground for middle and high school student-athletes aspiring to develop in a holistic environment. They are the team based furthest from the grounds of Hinchliffe, traveling from Rosharon, TX.
The jam-packed day concludes with a bitter rivalry. Don Bosco and Bergen Catholic will wrap up the Classic at 7:30pm. Under the guidance of Mike Rooney, the Ironment of Don Bosco welded a 24-5 record in 2022, in which their only in-state losses came at the hands of Ramapo (1-0, Bergen County Tournament Quarterfinal) and private school Ranney (8-7 on May 31). Their impressive season culminated with a 5-0 shutout of St. Augustine in the Non-Public A Final. The Crusaders of Bergen Catholic posted a 17-9 mark under Bob Muggeo and fell 5-3 to Seton Hall Prep in the Non-Public A Quarterfinal.
Tickets for the Classic will be made available soon and the Jackals, the participating teams and the City of Paterson are excited to show off the glistening Hinchliffe Stadium while highlighting the stars of tomorrow!
