One common complaint about high school football from dispassionate observers is that it’s so far removed from its college and professional cousins.

Removed, as in mired in the bygone era of black-and-white game film on a reel-to-reel projector. What works, and what many coaches find easiest to teach 17-year-olds, is a steady diet of student body left, student body right and an occasional bootleg.

If you attend an opening-night game this evening, however, be warned. Take all your blood pressure medications. Don’t make an emergency call to your eye doctor; the specs are working just fine. And allow 20 to 30 extra minutes for clock stoppages.

All four Class A football programs in the tri-county region will employ some version of a pass-happy offense in 2008. With one notable exception, it represents a philosophical paradigm shift for each school.

Mt. Blue High School, arguably the first school in Maine to introduce elements of the run-and-shoot with repeated success, enters its 14th autumn as purveyors of the “Cougar Gun.” Elsewhere, it’s a new, even scary change.

Edward Little and Oxford Hills have launched a new era by blending the innovative and ever-evolving spread offense into their arsenal.

In Auburn, the switch is designed to fit the size, speed and skill of a vaunted senior class.

“We have a quarterback (Cody Goddard) who was No. 2 in the conference in passing yards. He attempted more passes than any other quarterback in the state. He’s probably put on 10 pounds,” said EL coach Darren Hartley.

Oxford Hills’ about-face isn’t predicated on this year’s senior class.

With Nate Danforth taking over the Oxford Hills program as its third head coach in four years and the Vikings experiencing a significant exodus of starters from last year’s team, perhaps there was no better time to make a long-term switch.

“Kids are going to have to step up,” said Danforth. “We’re starting a new quarterback, a new running back, a new center. Jake Hall is a good athlete at quarterback. He’s picking it up nicely.”

The hallmarks of the spread (or spread option) offense are what enabled coach Urban Meyer to win a national championship and then groom Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow at the University of Florida.

Almost every play runs out of the shotgun formation. The quarterback, who is usually an equal threat to throw or tuck-and-run, is flanked by one running back, two inner receivers and two split ends.

“The shotgun snap is the toughest thing,” Danforth acknowledged. “We’ve got our center on the side taking about six million snaps a day. We’re committed to it because our backup center is a starting tackle, and we’re a much better football team when he’s at tackle.”

Most coaches committed to the dramatic change start reconstructing their program’s pyramid down at the elementary school level. Danforth is no exception.

“I’m rearranging the whole program,” he said. “All the younger grades are running this offense, so five years from now there probably will be eight kids on the team who can do the shotgun snap. Right now there’s none.”

Lewiston coach Bill County is a reluctant convert.

Entering his 17th year as a head football coach, County has long embraced the I-formation and Wing-T, saddling up a featured back and basking in success. Jim Ray and Jeff Dube of Leavitt, then Jared Turcotte and now Wesley Myers of Lewiston rolled up thousands of yards and wins by the dozen under his tutelage.

Not many rivals expected to see anything different with the slippery Myers entering his senior year. Lewiston graduated its entire starting offensive line, though, and injuries and schedule conflicts have left County strapped for replacements.

“I’m a Wing-T guy. We’re going to try to beat you up first,” County said. “But one of the things I like about Ronnie (Turner, Lewiston’s new quarterback) is his ability to run the option. That’s going to add a dimension to the offense. It worked well in our scrimmage against Skowhegan. It’s just going to take a little time. It might not be ready to be showcased quite yet.”

Myers will get his share of carries, for sure, but Lewiston fans might also see the star halfback snag a shovel pass, corral a direct snap or line up as a flanker in a ‘trips’ formation.

“We’ve just got to find ways to get Wesley the ball in space,” said County. “He’s a tremendous athlete and a tough kid to tackle.”

And making him the star of extra pages in the playbook means that Lewiston is a tougher team to pin down, even if its boss can’t believe he’s owning up to it.

Don’t forget that Maine’s previous copycat flourish this decade has been the double-wing, with Boothbay, Messalonskee, Gorham and Skowhegan adopting the new wrinkle on an age-old, three-yards-and-a-cloud-of-dust thought process.

EL, Lewiston and Oxford Hills all have the numbers to justify the space-age approach. Now the only question that remains is: Do the coaches have the courage to keep pulling the trigger?

“I’ve heard what the Eddies are going to run this year, but I’m not sure until I see it,” County said with a laugh. “I know how hard it is to change who you are.”