Sixteen of the state’s top high school soccer teams will converge on fields in Hampden, Farmingdale, Lewiston and Bath on Saturday to crown 2005 state champions.

Determining where those title matches will be held is a process that’s ongoing through the fall, according to Maine Principals’ Association executive director Dick Durost.

As a first stage, the MPA issues a request for proposals to all member schools each year seeking sites willing to host the state finals.

Acceptable sites must be secure, Durost said, meaning that proper barriers and fences are in place so people can’t just walk into the games without passing the ticket booths, as ticket fees help subsidize costs associated with putting on the events.

Schools that agree to be considered for hosting state finals also must commit to the continued upkeep of their fields once the particular school’s soccer season has ended. Those schools also must be able to pull together a volunteer and-or low-paid group willing to put on the event.

Durost said in any given year, eight to 10 schools volunteer to host the state soccer finals, and from that list the MPA soccer committee ultimately selects its championship venues on the Monday after the regional finals and before the state title games.

Championship games are assigned to sites, by class, based on a number of criteria. Among them are geographic considerations and anticipated crowd size.

For this year’s finals, Hampden Academy was the northernmost school available to host championship games, and two of the games scheduled there will involve the two northernmost teams to advance to the finals, the Madawaska girls and Presque Isle boys.

The artificial-surface field at the Weatherbee School complex will host three games overall, the Class C boys (Dexter-North Yarmouth Academy) and girls (Madawaska-NYA) finals, as well as the Class B boys game between Presque Isle and Yarmouth.

Normally a site hosts just the boys and girls finals in one class, but the Class B boys game was added to the Hampden schedule because of Presque Isle making the trip from Aroostook County and because the Hampden facility has lights to accommodate a third game of the day that will start at 4 p.m., shortly before dusk.

Hall-Dale High School in Farmingdale was the next northernmost venue available, Durost said, thus the scheduling of the Class D finals involving the next group of northernmost schools, the Lee Academy and Greenville girls and the Bangor Christian boys, who face Richmond.

The Class B girls final between Winslow and Falmouth will be held at Lewiston High School, while the Class A finals involving the Bangor and Gorham girls and the Mount Ararat of Topsham and Scarborough boys will be played at Morse High in Bath.

“We’d love to be able to have all teams play in their back yards so that more people can come to the games,” said Durost. “But we’re an association of high school members, and we depend on the good will of our members who donate their facilities to keep the costs down.

“We have 16 schools in four classes playing in the state finals, and we try to set up the games to accommodate the needs of all the kids the best way we can.”

Indians to break in new field

On the topic of game sites, the Skowhegan High football team will play its first home game of the season Friday night.

The Indians, 6-2 and the second-seeded team in the Pine Tree Conference Class A ranks, will host No. 3 Lawrence of Fairfield (6-2) in a 7 p.m. start at Reginald Clark Memorial Field.

Major renovations to the Skowhegan field, including rebuilding the field and installing an irrigation system and new bleachers, are now completed to the point that it can be used for Friday’s game.

Skowhegan played its regular-season home games this season on Saturday evenings at nearby Madison High School.