The 2003 high school football season begins on gridirons from Millinocket to Kittery this weekend, with more than 60 programs sharing the dream of a Nov. 22 date at Fitzpatrick Stadium in Portland to play for a state championship.

Five new programs have joined the competitive ranks, bringing to 65 the number of teams spread among three classes.

That growth has fostered additional change, with several teams switching class or region in order to numerically balance the Eastern and Western Maine fields.

Participation is on the rise at many schools, among them Hampden Academy, with nearly 80 players out for preseason practices, and the new Class C entry representing Dirigo/Buckfield, where 51 players are in uniform.

Newcomers also include some football players known more for their success on the basketball court, among them Andy Frost of Brewer, Jordan Heath of Bangor and Ralph Mimms of Brunswick, who’s being recruited by such Division I basketball programs as Florida State, Minnesota and Providence.

“I think a lot of what makes football special is that it’s just one game a week, which makes each game more important, and you’re teaching yourself to do something you normally can’t do, and that’s to knock people down,” said Bangor coach Mark Hackett.

Granted, the growth of high school football in Maine mirrors current state population trends, with a preponderance of the expansion in the south.

Three graduates of the Maine Principals’ Association-sanctioned Developmental League come from the Portland suburbs – Cape Elizabeth, Falmouth and Greely of Cumberland Center.

The two other newcomers, Dirigo/Buckfield and Maranacook of Readfield, represent the rebirth of programs that left the scene more than a decade ago.

“The popularity of football is growing, and around here a lot of fathers played football in their day, and they want their kids to play, too,” said Dirigo athletic director Jeff Turnbull.

“When you look at southern Maine in general, there’s a lot of people moving into the area from Massachusetts, and that’s a big high school area so they’re bringing that with them.”

There is some concern in more northern areas, particularly among smaller-school programs.

Some programs, such as Old Town and Mount Desert Island, are in the process of rebuilding.

The shift of Eastern Maine’s Class B schools from the LTC to the Pine Tree Conference has left the remaining LTC C teams with fewer scheduling options at the subvarsity level.

“As far as varsity goes, it’s great for us,” said Orono athletic director Mike Archer. “We have 10 teams, and we all play each other.

“But it’s hurt the opportunity to have freshman football. Only Bucksport has it now, and they only have three games because the PTC B teams have their own schedule and they’re just filling in gaps.”

Archer also cites the loss of some natural rivalries.

“We’re not playing Old Town, and that’s a shame,” he said. “We should be playing.”

Here’s a glimpse at the new-look high school football picture in Maine:

Class A (28 teams)

Fourteen teams will vie for eight playoff berths in both Eastern and Western Maine.

The Pine Tree Conference Class A ranks feature seven-team North and South divisions. Bangor, Cony of Augusta, Lawrence of Fairfield, Messalonskee of Oakland, Mt. Blue of Farmington, Skowhegan and Waterville are in the North; Brunswick, Edward Little of Auburn, Gardiner, Lewiston, Mt. Ararat of Topsham, Oxford Hills of South Paris and Windham are in the South.

Mt. Ararat is newly eligible for postseason play this year, while Windham shifts from Western A to Eastern A and also is eligible for the playoffs for the first time.

Western A, or the Southern Maine Activities Association, welcomes two newcomers from Class B, defending state champion Scarborough and Kennebunk. Like the PTC A, the SMAA has two seven-team divisions. The Intown Division consists of Bonny Eagle of Buxton, Cheverus of Portland, Deering of Portland, Portland, Scarborough, South Portland and Westbrook. The York County Division has Biddeford, Kennebunk, Marshwood of Elliot, Massabesic of Waterboro, Noble of Berwick, Sanford and Thornton Academy of Saco.

Each Class A team will play the other six teams in its division, one team from the opposite division, and a Week 2 crossover contest against a team from the opposite conference.

Class B (17 teams)

Eastern Maine’s Class B teams have changed allegiances from the LTC to the Pine Tree Conference and added Leavitt of Turner Center and Morse of Bath among three new members in part to eliminate the chance of a repeat of the awkward end to the 2002 regular season.

A year ago, Leavitt and Morse played a Western B Campbell Conference schedule but were in the Eastern Maine point standings. When the season ended, there was a three-way tie for the final two Eastern B playoff berths, and Leavitt and Morse eventually advanced via tiebreakers while 2001 state champion Winslow failed to qualify for postseason play for the first time since 1990.

As a result, the Campbell Conference had six of the eight postseason representatives in Class B, while traditional Eastern Maine sent just Belfast and Brewer to the playoffs.

This year, Leavitt and Morse will play an Eastern Maine schedule, so if they advance to the playoffs again it will be through head-to-head competition.

The third new PTC Class B member is Oak Hill of Wales, which moves up from Western C after reaching the regional semifinals a year ago.

While the PTC B has nine members, there are eight Class B teams in Western Maine, the same number as a year ago. The Campbell Conference lost Scarborough and Kennebunk, but picked up Falmouth and Greely. Falmouth went 7-2 in the Developmental League in 2002, while Greely was 4-4.

Class B plays an eight-game schedule over nine weekends, with Week 1 a series of crossover games involving all of the Campbell Conference teams and all of the PTC B teams except Old Town, which has a bye. Old Town plays a full PTC B schedule, while the rest of the teams in the league play all but one of their conference brethren.

Class C (20 teams)

The biggest change here is in Eastern Maine, where the shift of the LTC B schools to the Pine Tree Conference leaves 10 LTC C teams playing a closed nine-game schedule that sends four teams to postseason play.

The LTC welcomes two newcomers, Rockland and Maranacook. For Rockland, this marks a return to an Eastern Maine schedule after playing a Western C schedule the last two years.

Maranacook was one of the most successful of the Developmental League programs last year, finishing 5-1.

Cape Elizabeth and Dirigo/Buckfield join the Campbell Conference Class C ranks to give Western C 10 teams. Cape went 1-7 in Developmental League play in 2002. Dirigo/Buckfield, which plans call for to be split into two teams by 2005, will not be eligible for postseason play.