Brewer likely for move up to Class A football

The shift of Brewer back to Class A and the addition of Nokomis of Newport to the Eastern Maine Class B ranks are the only changes expected in the state’s high school football ranks for the next two years.

The football committee of the Maine Principals’ Association established new enrollment cutoff recommendations for the three classes at their most recent meeting.

Class A will have schools with 800 or more students, with Class B 501 to 799 and Class C 0 to 500.

Those numbers will be sent to the MPA’s classification committee for their consideration, and ultimately to the MPA’s general membership for approval at its spring 2007 meeting, according to MPA assistant executive director Larry LaBrie.

Brewer, with 883 students as of April 1, 2006, the date used to determine classification in all sports statewide for the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school years, is the lone school to move either up or down a class, under the recommended cutoff figures.

If Brewer’s shift becomes official, it would mark the Witches’ first foray into Class A since a two-year stay in 1997 and 1998.

During that two-year period, Brewer went 0-18.

The Witches have had much more success during the last eight years in Class B, a tenure highlighted by Brewer winning the 2005 state championship in that class.

The Witches finished 3-5 this season, narrowly missing a playoff berth.

A move back to Class A by Brewer would give the Pine Tree Conference 12 Class A teams, up from 11 the last two years.

That would enable that division to avoid the byes that have been part of its master schedule for the last two years, and also could pave the way for the PTC A to hold an eight-game regular-season followed by an eight-team playoff structure.

Just four of the current 11 teams have qualified for postseason play in the last two years.

Nokomis, which MPA officials anticipate joining the varsity ranks for the first time next year, would replace Brewer in the PTC Class B ranks.

That would leave the PTC B with its current number of 12 teams, which now has a two-division structure that plays an eight-game regular-season schedule followed by an eight-team playoff.

Under the football committee’s recommended enrollment cutoff numbers for the next two seasond, Eastern Maine Class C would remain at nine teams, while Western A (16 teams), Western B (10 teams) and Western C (nine teams) also would remain the same, LaBrie said.

Any team may petition up or down from the class it is placed in through its enrollment. If a team petitions down a class, however, it would be ineligible to participate in postseason play.