Stratford, I am told, does not have a team again. Last year, two of their students played for state champ Groveton. The school will likely close. Pittsburg is on life support. Took awhile but the Ethan Allen plant closing in Beecher Falls is having a real bad effect.

That was inevitable. NH is growing, while Maine is somewhat stagnant, and we've had four divisions (we call them "classes" A,B,C,D) for decades.

I find it funny that some of the games I work are more north than Pittsburg! My furthest drive for basketball was 1.5 hours north to Millinocket (of TV's American Loggers fame) a few years ago. The assignor encouraged four guys from my town to share a ride and work a middle school tournament. We were even told they'd feed us; they forgot to tell them that. We passed by eastern Maine's only strip joint ("Hey, doesn't your wife work there?"), to get to what used to be a Class A high school, now Class C (mill town fallen on hard times). Cross-court games, no 3-point line, no major issues, aside from one of my buds going down with a knee injury.

Also drove 1:30 for a pair of middle school soccer games -- solo job -- to the picturesque lake town of Greenville. All went well, friendly town, though the A.D. scared me a bit upon my departure: "Watch out for the moose!"

Had a moose run out in front of me on my way back from Woodsville a week or so ago..from that point on I thought every shadow was a moose...sure did slow up the ride home..