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The last time the Edward Little football team defeated a Class A school was an 18-13 playoff win over Lewiston on Oct. 26, 2018.

Since then, the Red Eddies have gone 3-43, with all three victories against teams that at the time played in Class B – two over Messalonskee and one over Brewer.

Edward Little, coming off a 1-8 season, is considering a petition to move from Class A North to Class B North. Athletic Director Todd Sampson said the football boosters are holding a meeting Wednesday to gauge interest in reclassification with parents, players and coaches. The meeting will be at the school in the ELHS Cafe at 6 p.m.

“This is a community conversation, and we certainly value what the football community has to say,” Sampson said. “So, we want to have that forum so that people can say, ‘This is, this is a great idea,’ or, ‘These are some of our concerns,’ and, ‘Is this really in the best interest of our kids?’ So, we’re going to open it up.”

The timing of the consideration is based on the Maine Principals’ Association’s two-year reclassification cycle, which begins anew next school year with changes determined in the spring. Sampson emphasized that the process is a long one, and no decisions will be made Wednesday.

When contacted to discuss the potential move to Class B, Edward Little football coach Rick Kramer directed a Sun Journal reporter to Sampson.

The decision to possibly reclassify goes beyond wins and losses, Sampson said. He said he’s aware of the possible backlash that might ensue, with critiques of an easier schedule. However, he noted that other Edward Little teams play schedules heavy with Class B opponents.

“It’s interesting because we are Class A in all of our activities, but, there was conversation around our lacrosse program. Our lacrosse program is Class A for playoff rankings, but really, we played Class B opponents,” Sampson said. “Lacrosse is already playing a competitive schedule. Our volleyball team, which had great success this year, used that competitive model schedule. It wasn’t necessarily going down to Class B, but we were playing a lot of Class B opponents and a lot of Class C opponents in lacrosse and volleyball.”

Sampson equated the possible reclassification to Class B to the “rehabilitation” idea of a program moving from 11-man to 8-man football.

Moving down – if Edward Little decided to petition and the MPA approves – wouldn’t be permanent, Sampson said. The intent would be to rebuild the Red Eddies into a program that would be competitive in Class A.

“I don’t see this as a long-term solution,” Sampson said. “I think this would be an opportunity for us to improve our program, get competitive, get kids feeling good about themselves.

“In talking to a couple of the representatives with the MPA and the football committee, if we weren’t looking at it, I don’t think we would be doing justice to our to our kiddos and our coaches and our community.”

This season, Edward Little’s only win was over Messalonskee, 36-34, at home on Sept. 20. Sampson said during that game, “you could see the excitement,” among players and coaches.

“That was great for our community, great for our kids,” Sampson said. “I don’t think the kids on the field were focused on them being a Class A or a Class B opponent. We’ve had some success against Class B opponents and thought that might be the best way forward.”

Sampson also said it’s not a numbers issue, as Edward Little is “sort of an outlier,” with 65 players on the 2024 roster.

Sampson said if Edward Little decides to pursue reclassification, he will start the process by sending it “up the food chain,” to the school department, superintendent and school committee before reaching out to the MPA’s football and classification committees.

Edward Little, according to the MPA’s classification numbers, has 972 students, which ranks as the 10th highest enrollment in the state. The current classification range for Class B is 650-899 students. Current Class B North football schools include defending Class B champion Falmouth, Cony, Lawrence, Gardiner, Messalonskee, Skowhegan and Mt. Blue.