The state's high school athletic directors met Thursday and a number of important topics were discussed, most of them regarding classification.

On the football front they talked about the possibility of six nine-team divisions (unlikely), and who would move up and down if the divisions remained the same. If the football committee goes strictly by enrollment, as they have in the past, Spaulding of Rochester would join Division I as the 10th team, replacing Trinity of Manchester, which dropped out last winter.

That would leave Division II one team short and, based strictly on numbers, Bedford, which just opened this fall, would enter as a Division II school because of a projected enrollment in the 1,150-range. Those numbers are based on attendance in the current seventh and eighth grades.

But sources say Bedford would not play varsity football next fall if forced to play in Division II, making Con-Val of Peterborough the likely 10th school in Division II.

There was some discussion about forcing Bishop Guertin, the three-time defending Division II champion, to move up to Division I next year, but it would go against NHIAA guidelines. 

Three new schools -- Sanborn of Kingston, Inter-Lakes of Meredith and Mascoma of New Canaan -- are expected to join the ranks of football-playing schools next fall.

As for other sports, five schools will have to decide whether they want to petition to stay in Class I for the next two years. Fall Mountain of Langdon, Bishop Brady of Concord, Kearsarge of North Sutton, Stevens of Claremont and Bow all have the opportunity to drop to Class M because of decreasing enrollment.

Sanborn, whose enrollment has increased since building its new high school, will move from Class M to Class I.

There was also discussion of playing as many as four games each season outside the division in order to create regional rivalries and cut down on transportation costs. The idea could be a nightmare in terms of scheduling.