The future of Maine’s high school basketball tournaments will be a primary topic when the Maine Principals’ Association holds its annual fall conference Thursday and Friday at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

Proposals to be considered would move the Eastern A tournament from the Bangor Auditorium to the Augusta Civic Center, shift the Western B tournament from Augusta to the Cumberland County Civic Center in Portland, and advance the Eastern and Western A tournaments from early March to February vacation week, the same week the regional B, C and D tournaments are held.

MPA executive director Dick Durost said the three proposals likely would be introduced to the full membership through a single motion during the association’s Interscholastic Division business meeting scheduled to be held from 8 to 10 a.m. Friday morning.

“I think you’ll see them introduced as a set of three,” he said. “That will provide the opportunity for the proposals to be reviewed together and moved along quickly if that is the mind-set of the membership.”

If approved, the changes would take place beginning with the 2006 tournaments, when new five-year contracts between the MPA and the host facilities would take effect.

All three proposals have received widespread support from the full MPA membership through a survey conducted last spring, as well as a 20-1 vote of the MPA’s plenary basketball committee, and a 9-0 vote of the association’s Interscholastic Management Committee.

The shifting of the Eastern A tourney from Bangor to Augusta and the Western B tourney from Augusta to Portland seeks to address the southward migration of the state’s population in recent years and its effect on school enrollment.

Moving the Class A regionals to February vacation week would end a conflict between those tournaments and the annual Maine Educational Assessment testing. The MEAs are used to measure student and school academic proficiency in conjunction with Maine’s Learning Results standards, as well as to gauge achievement relative to the federal No Child Left Behind law.

Among other items expected to be on the Interscholastic Division business meeting agenda is a proposal to allow qualifying high school teams from Maine to compete in New England competitions. At present, that proposal would affect only cross country, for which Maine currently sends top individuals to the New Englands but not championship-level teams.

Another proposal would create two classes based on enrollment for state drama competition. Currently there are two divisions, Durost said, but one is for more veteran drama programs while the other division is for novice programs.

Waterville dropping to Class B

The Waterville Board of Education voted unanimously Monday night for Waterville High athletic teams – including football and basketball – to compete in Class B beginning next fall, according to WHS athletic director Doug Frame.

There could be some exceptions, as teams that wish will be able to petition the MPA to remain in Class A, provided they comply with a list of criteria to be developed by the Waterville High administration during the next few weeks. Such criteria could include the strength of each team’s feeder system and recent varsity win-loss records.

Teams that have indicated an interest in remaining in Class A are boys and girls soccer, ice hockey and golf, Frame said.

The school’s field hockey, swimming and cheering teams already compete in Class B.

Waterville High currently has an enrollment of 644, down considerably from the 920 students at the school in 1985, when the Purple Panthers won their last Class A state championship in boys basketball and also won the Eastern Maine title in girls basketball.

That enrollment decline is attributed to a number of factors, Frame said, including the loss of factory jobs in the region, the growth of other communities between Waterville and Augusta, the aging of the city’s population, the city’s high property tax rate, and the decision of more students from the China-Vassalboro area to attend school closer to home at Erskine Academy in South China in recent years rather than travel to neighboring schools such as Waterville.

Hermon diamond stars get rings

Members of the Hermon High baseball team were presented championship rings in honor of the Hawks’ 2004 Eastern Maine Class B championship during ceremonies held at the school’s library Tuesday evening.

The regional title was the first-ever in baseball for the school, according to athletic director Paul Soucy.

Hermon finished the regular season ranked second in Eastern B with a 12-4 record, then defeated Erskine Academy of South China, Presque Isle and top-ranked Winslow to win the title. The Hawks fell to Cape Elizabeth 6-2 in the state championship game.

Team members to be honored are Corey Archer, Bill Bart, Matthew Berry, Phil Cayford, Josiah Curtis, Brett Danforth, Tyler Deabay, Nathan Ellis, Travis Estes, Brady Hurd, Dustin Jalbert, Matthew Joy, Joshua Kane, Steve Kennerson, Brian McGinley, Scott Riendeau, Jason Shorey, Jason Tarr and David Wilder. Also to be recognized are head coach Mark Farnham and assistants Justin Perry, Doug McGinley and Tom Caldwell.

Tunney reigns in California

A former Hampden Academy student is making waves as a high school quarterback in southern California.

Clayton Tunney, now a senior at La Costa Canyon High School in Carlsbad, Calif., has averaged more than 200 passing yards per game as a starter with the Mavericks, who were 5-4 after their most recent victory.

The 6-foot-3, 195-pound Tunney, who attended Hampden as a freshman and sophomore, twice has been named the San Diego-area high school player of the week. Tunney moved to California just before the start of his junior year, and this season marks his first as a starter.

He has not yet verbally committed to a college, but has been selected to participate in the first High School All-American Bowl Game scheduled for Jan. 13, 2005, in Shreveport, La.

Ernie Clark may be reached at 990-8045, 1-800-310-8600 or eclark@bangordailynews.net