Changes upon changes in high school football this fall

Not only is there a new playoff format this year in high school football, but the principal league on the North Shore – the Northeastern Conference – has underdone some changes as well.The overall playoff format has split the state into six divisions, promising only six Super Bowls. Rather than the games being regional, they’ll pit the two top teams in each division – statewide – for the championship. The format was approved last October by a vote of principals and athletic directors.Among other things, it allows eight teams from the six divisions to do the type of playoff system that the NCAA has been trying to put it place for itself. Teams play seven games, and then have three weeks of playoffs. The Super Bowl contestants will be decided, for the most part, before Thanksgiving, and in all but a couple of cases, the Turkey Day rivalries will remain intact. The only change is that Bishop Fenwick, which had been playing Austin Prep, will play Pope John instead, because AP is in Fenwick’s league.The Northeastern Conference has gone back to an 11-team league, with Masconomet rejoining the Cape Ann League, and Saugus moving to the CAL as well.That leaves a split league, with English, Beverly, Swampscott, Marblehead and Gloucester playing in the upper (North) division; while Salem, Peabody, Winthrop, Danvers, Revere and Classical will be in the lower (South).This has some coaches baffled.”I think we’re the only league in the state, now,” said Swampscott’s Steve Dembowski, “to have a league decided by power instead of enrollment. It puts us in a total Catch 22, which has us playing some of the bigger schools (such as English) while schools like Winthrop have to go up against Classical.””We haven’t played Winthrop, or Danvers, in quite a while,” said Classical coach Tim Phelps. “We don’t have any film on them from past experience, so it’s all going to be new to us. I guess we’re all have to go through this thing this year to see how it’s going to go.”The new split ends some old rivalries.”We’ve been playing the Lynn schools since forever,” said Beverly’s Dan Bauer, who will still play English, but will have to forgo Classical because with a seven-game schedule to contend with, there just wasn’t time. “That’s always been a good rivalry, and it’s one I’ll miss.””We always loved playing Beverly,” said Phelps, whose Rams will play their non-leaguers against Gloucester and Marblehead. “They were always a challenge for us, and always gave us a great game.”Between non-league games, and its Thanksgiving contest with English, Classical actually makes out quite well in playing NEC teams. Of the 11 still in the league, Classical will play eight.Even though things seem to keep changing within the NEC, the league also is represented in four of the six divisions Peabody is in Division 1, with English and Classical in Division 2. Six of the league’s teams are in D3: Beverly, Danvers, Gloucester, Marblehead, Revere and Salem; Swampscott and Winthrop (along with Saugus) are in Division 4.As for other area teams, St. John’s Prep is also in Division 1, while Lynnfield is in Division 4. Bishop Fenwick and St. Mary’s are in Division 5, and Lynn Tech is in 6.”This has been good for us,” said Tech coach James Runner. “We were in the upper division (of the Commonwealth Conference) but our numbers have not been to our advantage.”The Tigers will be in the same division with Mystic Valley, Chelsea and North Shore, while Greater Lowell takes Tech’s spot in the upper division.”It puts us in a better position,” said Runner. “Some other teams might not be happy about all the changes, but it ended up working out well for us. Now we’ll be competing against teams similar to us in enrollment.”As for the NEC, both Dembowski and Phelps see a positive in the realignment and spreading out of the teams.”We could have a lot of our teams in the playoffs,” Dembowski said.”And,” said Phelps, “that could be kind of exciting.”While much has changed in the NEC, little has change