Okay, so I know I told you all that I was done with the column for the year, but certain events that are transpiring this week have given me more than a few thoughts, so here’s one more for the road.

As you read this today, the football committee of the Maine Principals Association has congregated in Augusta to discuss the future of the four-class system (a story which I wrote about in Tuesday’s edition and can be viewed at www.journaltribune.com). As I wrote about in my story, the possibility of having Class AA, A, B and C based on enrollment, which was a popular idea this past summer, is now on the verge of being axed, at least for now, due to strong opposition from the Kennebec Valley Athletic Conference and Pine Tree Conference schools.

I had to laugh for a moment when I first heard this news, because if you go back at least 21 years, from 1990 to today, every Eastern Class A representative in the state championship game has come from the KVAC. For those not aware, the KVAC consists of 29 schools in both Class A and B, and make up the largest conference in the state. If there was any place where more parity and balance in competition is needed, it’s with Eastern Maine football.

But Tuesday morning I had a good chat with Michael Burnham, the assistant executive director for the MPA, to dive further into why our neighbors to the east are uneasy about this proposition. One of the main concerns in the proposal is the fact that in Class AA, which would be the top class in the state, the schools would be divided into three division, the North, Central and South, based on geography. Under the current proposal, the Eastern Class A schools that qualify would be in the North, Cumberland County teams would make up the Central, and York County teams would make up the South. That means there are two divisions from Western Class A that make up Class AA, while only one division of Eastern Class A schools would exist in the new class, which does not make people in that area very happy.

On top of that, there has been no discussion over what the playoff system would be like, and for three divisions in Class AA, that could get a little bit harder to work out, compared to the simple 8-team playoff system in both the West and East of each class that we have today.

One more factor is young football programs. In talking with Burnham, he said there are schools with fairly new football programs that will have to move up a class due to enrollment if the current proposal was passed. There is an option for these schools to play down a class, which Old Town has done recently, but rules state that if a team moves down a class, they are not eligible for the playoffs.

In talking with Burnham, there would be a long way for this proposal to go before it even reached the voting stage. If the football committee passes it, it would then move along for a vote with the classification committee. From there, it would go to the MPA management committee, and then finally this upcoming spring, it would go to a full vote from the MPA member schools, where a majority vote would decide. Needless to say, today would be the first step in a long journey, if the proposal even passes.

If the proposal doesn’t pass, the issue of reclassification would not come up again until after the 2012 season. MPA rules state that reclassification can only happen every two years.

In my opinion, I don’t think this will pass the football committee today. There’s just too many holes in the proposal, and I actually agree with my Eastern Maine brethren that two divisions of Western Maine teams and one division of Eastern Maine teams seems a little off, particularly when the playoffs come around. I think the committee will table the issue, or flat-out vote it down, take the two years to come up with a better proposal, and bring it back to the table in 2012. I think it will eventually happen, but it has to be done right before it goes to a full vote.

Check back in tomorrow on the results of the vote and the future of the proposal.

Onto the Fitzy”¦

In case some of you don’t know, the list of semifinalists for the James J. Fitzpatrick trophy (affectionately called the Fitzy) came out this past week. Three of the semifinalists come from York County, as Kennebunk wide receiver Ethan Drigotas, Biddeford fullback Nick Gagne and Thornton Academy quarterback Josh Woodward are all on the list. Joining them are Kyle Bishop of Waterville, Max Cloutier of Leavitt, Mike Cyr of Scarborough, Peter Gwilym of Cheverus, Jonathan Haws of Hampden Academy, Cam Kaubris of Mountain Valley, Caleb Kenney of Portland, Nick Proscia of Yarmouth and Jamie Ross of Deering.

Cony quarterback Luke Duncklee, who should have been on the original list, was a late addition because of missing paperwork.

Every coach in the state and the media get to vote on three finalists. I will plead the fifth on who we voted for here at the Journal Tribune, but I’ll let you in on who I personally think will be the three finalists (this does not mean I voted for them as a finalist).

Of all the players on the list, it is Duncklee who has the best stats, accounting for 2,400 yards (1,300 passing, 1,100 rushing) and a total of 24 touchdowns. Ross, who I personally think is the best quarterback in the state, passed for 1,500 yards and ran for an additional 912 yards for the Rams. He totaled 36 touchdowns on the year, more than any player on the list. And even though the Fitzy doesn’t usually recognize defensive players, I think Cloutier’s stats – 96 tackles, 12.5 sacks – cannot be denied. I expect all three to be sitting at the head table when the Fitzy banquet takes place on Jan. 16 at the Holiday Inn by the Bay in Portland.

I don’t see any of the three York County candidates making it, simply based on numbers and history. For Drigotas, wide receivers don’t usually go beyond the semifinalist list when it comes to the Fitzy, and because he plays in a pass-friendly offense (where numbers can balloon due to the number of times the ball is in the air) could be detrimental. I also think both Gagne and Woodward would have much better chances of moving on if they both reached 1,000 yards rushing (Gagne had 973, Woodward 958). All three had fantastic seasons, but just like the Heisman, the voters want to see the glitzy numbers, and in Maine that number is 1,000, both in passing or rushing yards.

Oh, and who do I think will win? Since neither of the three who I think are finalists won a state title, I’ll go with Ross, whose 36 touchdowns trumps the competition.

I hope everyone has a very Happy Holidays and New Year, see you all next year.

— Contact Dave Dyer at 282-1535 ext. 318.