Faced with the diminishing number of Eastern Maine Class A schools in the northern part of the state, the Big East Conference and Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference have reached an agreement to play each other in basketball for the next two years.

Bangor, Brewer, Hampden Academy, John Bapst of Bangor, Nokomis of Newport, and Old Town will each get five games against the 15 KVAC Class A teams for the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons. The rest of the Big East schools’ schedules will be made up of two games against each other, and each school will play three other Bog East schools in an additional game.

For example, Bangor will play Oxford Hills of South Paris Gardiner, Lewiston, Mt. Blue of Farmington and Waterville for five KVAC games; the five other Big East schools twice for 15 total games, and Brewer, Nokomis and Hampden an additional time each for a total of 18 games, the maximum amount allowed.

The KVAC schools will all play each other at least once for 14 games, then play two teams three times for 16 and two Big East games for 18.

“There was a great deal of debate, both pro and con, but what we got was a compromise between the two conferences,” said Big East president Paul Soucy, who proposed the initial idea to the rest of the conference in January. “It shows what conferences can do when they work together.”

Part of the agreement was that the Big East Class A schools would give up the Big East Class B schools that had made up part of the schedule for the last four years.

“We’re excited about playing an all-Class A schedule and they’re excited about playing us,” Soucy said.

Soucy worked with Big East scheduler Bob Cimbollek, KVAC president Julie Treadwell, and KVAC scheduler Brian Hatch.

The group met in a hotel room at the Samoset Resort in Rockport during a recent gathering of athletic directors to put the schedule together. The four literally pulled schools out of a hat – the 15 KVAC schools in one hat, the six Big East schools in another.

“It was just done by the luck of the draw,” Soucy said, explaining which KVAC schools the Big East would play.

Scheduling consideration was given to making sure the longer trips were on Fridays or Saturdays and teams have the leeway to switch to different dates in case of conflicts. Boys and girls will play the same opponent at opposite sites.

The Big East lost two schools recently as Caribou and Presque Isle have both dropped down to Class B. John Bapst of Bangor could also go to Class B in two years.

Meanwhile, the KVAC has grown in that time. The latest additions will most likely be Edward Little of Auburn and Lewiston, which are already in Eastern Maine in football and ice hockey. The moves are expected to be approved at an interscholastic business meeting of the Maine Principals’ Association Thursday at the Samoset Resort.

With Lewiston and Edward Little in the KVAC next year, each team will play two Big East teams. The KVAC is giving up a total of 30 games.

Soucy said the Big East athletic directors were unanimous in a vote to draw up a mixed schedule. Treadwell said the concept passed “easily” in the KVAC.

The issue of not playing Class B schools was the main sticking point for the KVAC, but once the Big East agreed to an all-Class A schedule, the mixed-conference schedule wasn’t an issue.

“[The Big East] needed help, and if we can help them out without [hurting] our kids, we should,” Treadwell said. “You have to look at things globally and not just at our schools.”

The conferences used to play each other yearly but decided not to continue the relationship during the open tournament because there wasn’t as much of a need for a competitive schedule.

The Class B schools that played Class A opponents last year will all have to either find more Class B opposition or play Class C teams. That could have been alleviated with Presque Isle’s move to Class B, but Houlton also dropped to Class C for next year.

Jessica Bloch can be reached at 990-8193, 1-800-310-8600 or jbloch@bangordailynews.net.