Buena High School Leaving CAL for Tri-County Conference

The Cape-Atlantic League is losing a familiar school.

Buena Regional High School announced the athletic teams will be leaving their longtime home in favor of the Tri-County Conference, which will allow the Group I school to compete against more schools with similar enrollment. The football program will continue to be a part of the West Jersey Football League.

Why Buena Is Making the Move to the Tri-County Conference

The school put out a press release on social media that indicates the primary factor is enrollment and more opportunities to compete with schools that are a similar size.

The Cape-Atlantic League currently has just two schools that compete in Group I, while the Tri-County has eight.

The small Atlantic County school has about 500 students.

The Chiefs have a long relationship with the Cape-Atlantic League and have had strong football, wrestling, and baseball programs, but they have struggled to compete against schools with bigger enrollment.

Struggling Programs Hope for a Turnaround

One team that should benefit is the basketball program, which went 2-21 last season and is 22-98 since the 2020 COVID-19 season. The Chiefs have won more than 10 games just once in the past 15 seasons. Overall, Buena has just three winning seasons (2000-2002) and two .500 seasons since 1973

The Chiefs last had a winning record in 2002 when they went 16-10 and were 14-14 in 2010.

The girls basketball team is 103-211 since their last winning season, going 17-11 in 2011-12. Buena went 13-13 during the 2016-2017 season and hasn't been above the .500 mark since

These statistics highlight the steep competition Buena faces against larger schools, a playing field the move to the Tri-County Conference aims to level.

Comparing Travel Times: CAL vs. Tri-County

Another factor was travel, which should be comparable to their current home in the Cape -Atlantic League. With Buena's move, their travel time will increase from an average of about 30 minutes per trip throughout Atlantic, Cape May, and Cumberland Counties to about 45 minutes per trip, with schools being located in Gloucester, Salem, and Cumberland County.

Recent South Jersey League Realignment History

Wildwood, a small Group I school, returned to the Cape-Atlantic League in the 2026-27 season and was a member of the Tri-County Conference from 2002-03 until returning to the CAL this season. The Warriors were a charter member of the league, which was formed in 1949.

One of the reasons Wildwood returned to the CAL was to reduce grueling travel from Wildwood to road games, which on average were about 60 miles away.

Hammonton High School briefly left the Cape-Atlantic League for the Tri-County Conference in 2014 before returning to the CAL in 2020.

The move needs to be finalized, with the Chiefs' final day in the CAL expected to be June 30, 2028.