Chiefs, already a popular scheduling partner of league teams, to come aboard Tri-County Conference in 2028-29 school year.
By Riverview Sports News
Buena Regional High School has announced it plans to leave the Cape-Atlantic League to join the Tri-County Conference starting in the 2028-2029 school year.
One of the prime factors, the school said in a news release, is enrollment alignment. The Tri-County Conference currently includes eight Group I high schools, compared with two in the Cape-Atlantic League, providing the Chiefs with more opportunities to compete against schools of similar size.
Travel was also reviewed and is expected to be relatively comparable to their current Cape-Atlantic League schedule.
There are currently 22 schools in the TCC. Buena played 43 regular-season games against TCC teams the previous school year.
All six Salem County high schools play in the TCC. Buena’s athletics director, Doug Foglein, is the brother of Pennsville boys soccer coach Derek Foglein.
The league recently lost Wildwood back to the CAL. The Warriors moved back for similar reasons to Buena jumping to the TCC.
All of Buena’s athletic programs will remain in place, the school said. Football will continue in the West Jersey Football League, and Buena Regional Middle School athletics will continue to operate independently.
Buena’s expected final date in the Cape-Atlantic League would be June 30, 2028, with anticipated membership in the Tri-County Conference beginning July 1
“They will be a great fit for us; have wanted them to join us for a while,” Pennsville athletics director Jamy Thomas said. “(They are a) nice fit with our small division. We need to push to get to 24; four divisions of six would be ideal. The few sports we have now with four or five teams in a division is just not good for anyone.
“We already play them in a ton of sports, so I am looking forward to working with them even more.”
Top photo: Buena has been a popular non-conference opponent for Pennsville over the years. In this photo, the Eagles play Buena in its holiday basketball tournament a few years back.
