An appeal by Biddeford High School that would allow its football program to drop from Class A to Class B beginning next fall is scheduled to be heard Friday by the Interscholastic Management Committee of the Maine Principals’ Association, according to Maine Principals’ Association executive director Dick Durost.
Biddeford, a longtime Western Maine Class A football power, has suffered a significant enrollment decline in recent years and was eligible to participate in Class B two years ago.
But after considerable community discussion, the school opted to petition to stay in Class A, and historically under Maine Principals’ Association rules, programs that petition up a class must remain in the higher class for a four-year period.
Biddeford’s request was approved, and in the last two seasons, the Tigers have finished with regular-season records of 4-4 in 2013 and 3-5 last fall. Biddeford qualified for the Western A playoffs both years, and last fall, it defeated South Portland 34-20 in the quarterfinals before bowing to Bonny Eagle of Standish 21-8 in the regional semifinals.
Biddeford’s enrollment for the next two-year classification cycle that begins with the start of the 2015-16 school year is 775, well-below the recommended Class A cutoff of 840 students. Enrollments to be used to classify teams in various sports for the next cycle are those for each school as of April 1, 2014.
Citing that downturn in enrollment and safety concerns, Biddeford school officials originally made their request to be allowed to drop to Class B beginning next season to the Maine Principals’ Association Football Committee last fall.
That request was forwarded to the Interscholastic Management Committee, which originally voted it down at its Nov. 19 meeting.
