During the past few days, fans of Biddeford football have been confronted by the possibility of the Tigers dropping from Class A to Class B under a proposal to create four classes in Maine high school football.

At a public forum Wednesday night, residents voiced their concerns to Biddeford school officials about what the school should do if a drop happens.

Their voices were heard loudly and clearly: Stay in Class A. And we agree with the city’s residents.

Biddeford football is one of the richest and most historic programs in all of Maine, and almost all of that history was created while playing in Maine’s top high school football class. Moving the team to Class B doesn’t erase this history, but it doesn’t help its future, either.

Last season, the Tigers battled through a 0-8 year. That was the first time the Tigers hadn’t won a football game in a season since legendary Biddeford coach Mike Landry’s second year. That in itself is impressive.

Some might argue that Biddeford, which has an enrollment of 830 students, can no longer compete with bigger schools such as Thornton Academy (1,384 students) Deering (942) or Bonny Eagle (1,154), to name a few.

But this is not true. Two seasons ago, the Tigers went 7-1, beat Thornton Academy and hosted a first-round playoff game. The team graduated a slew of seniors after that year and only had four returning seniors last season, which was a key reason as to why the team didn’t win a game. That should change this year, as Biddeford will have more than 16 seniors return. In Class A, experience makes all the difference.

The school, should the MPA pass the change, has three options: It can petition to move up to Class A, stay in Class B or petition to drop to Class C. The third option will never happen, but residents are urging the school to immediately petition to play in Class A. We believe the school administration should listen and petition.

The changes will not go into effect until the 2013 season, and Biddeford could have a team that is rebuilding. That means the Tigers could see another rough season, but that is the new reality for Biddeford. Since it doesn’t have the high numbers as do the other schools, it will have more cyclical seasons. Wells, which went 12-0 last season and powered its way to the Class B state championship, is well aware of this up and down cycle. As the smallest school in Class B, Tim Roche’s team has experienced undefeated seasons followed by losing seasons. It’s the nature of the beast when you are the smallest school in a league.

Biddeford, like Wells, has intense pride. Just because the team doesn’t have a winning season doesn’t mean the fans shouldn’t be proud of the young athletes who still work hard every day to represent Biddeford. Playing in Class A is a staple of the program and it should continue to be that way. The Tigers will still be competitive, just not as consistently. That doesn’t magically change just because a team plays in Class B.

It’s important to remember that Class B is not a demotion, as that class produces some heavyweight programs such as Wells, Mountain Valley, Leavitt and Cape Elizabeth. These schools can compete with almost any team in the state. A bad team is a bad team and a good team is a good team no matter its classification.

Biddeford, however, embodies Class A with its rich program and historic home turf of Waterhouse Field. Waterhouse is the nicest and most prestigious field in all of Maine, so much so that the Maine Shrine Lobster Bowl, which is Maine’s high school football all-star game, is played there every year. It is a Class A facility.

There are also financial concerns if Biddeford moves to Class B, such as travel costs.

The Tigers would join a league with Falmouth, Marshwood, Kennebunk, Greely, Westbrook, Oceanside, Camden Hills and Fryeburg Academy. Currently the farthest distance the Tigers travel is to Noble in the Berwicks. That would change as Oceanside and Camden are 2 1/2-hour drives from Biddeford, meaning it would be a five-hour round trip to play a football game on a Friday night, which would increase the school’s travel budget. That is asking a lot in the face of rising taxes and increasing job losses.

Some residents at the forum on Wednesday also expressed their concern that fans wouldn’t support a team that plays in Class B as much, since they are used to being one of the top programs in Class A. This, some residents suggested, could result in a loss of ticket and concessions sales, which heavily fund the football program as well as other athletic programs at the school.

There is also a third reason the Tigers shouldn’t drop to Class B: It will lose its natural rivalry with Thornton Academy and the annual Battle of the Bridge game, which is the state’s biggest rivalry game of the year.

So, the answer to what Biddeford should do if the MPA drops it to Class B is simple. Petition to stay in Class A. It’s where the Tigers belong.

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Today’s editorial was written by Sports Editor Al Edwards representing the majority opinion of the Journal Tribune Editorial Board. Questions? Comments? Contact Managing Editor Kristen Schulze Muszynski by calling 282-1535, Ext. 322, or via email at kristenm@journaltribune.com.