Maine basketball classification committee ditches statewide Class AA proposal

By Adam Robinson, Bangor Daily News Staff

The Maine Principals’ Association’s classification committee voted March 16 to keep Class AA split into two regions — North and South — after originally voting to make Class AA a statewide region for next year’s high school basketball season.

In what should be the final classification committee meeting, Class AA athletic directors discussed the largest-enrollment class and its problems. The committee reclassifies high school basketball every two years. The current five-class system was implemented in 2016.

“Going to a statewide class eliminates our regional championship,” Gorham Athletic Director Tim Spear said. “It’s important to our communities to have regional championships. Personally, at Gorham we celebrate regional championships. We are a proponent of regional championships in all sports.”

Not much else was changed in the meeting. 

Maranacook moved from Class B South to B North, while both Erskine basketball teams were moved to Class B North, as well. Leavitt girls basketball declined to drop to Class C and both Belfast basketball teams declined to drop to Class C, also.

No enrollment limits were adjusted during the meeting, keeping Class D with schools at a maximum of 129 students, followed by Class C (130-314), Class B (315-584) and Class A (585-824). Class AA’s enrollment minimum is 825 students. 

All teams that have winning percentages below 25 percent over the last four seasons were dropped a class unless they declined. Every classification cycle the committee will drop new teams that fit the criteria, with boys and girls teams allowed to drop down independent of one another. 

The current proposal will go to a vote on Thursday, March 23 by the Interscholastic Management Committee, where schools can again appeal. All sports proposals will be voted on at the MPA’s spring conference on April 8.