By Andy Walter

DOVER — Five years ago, Polytech High’s football program hit rock bottom.

With injuries — including one life-threatening one — leaving the Panthers with fewer than 20 available players, Polytech forfeited the last two games of the 2019 season.

The Panthers didn’t win another game until 2021, when they snapped a 15-game losing streak.

Flash forward to last season. Not only did Polytech set a school record for wins with a 10-2 campaign, but it made the DIAA state tournament for the first time.

The Panthers finished just one victory shy of playing in the Class 1A state finals.

So if you’re looking for an example of how the state’s four-year-old, three-tiered classification system — which tries to group schools with ones they will be competitive with — can revive a program, Polytech might be at the top of the list.

“I remember before,” said Panthers’ coach Dave Eilers. “The kids used to look at our schedule and they would just know that once we got through maybe week one, they knew the Henlopen North games were going to be impossible games to win.

“It was defeating for them. They would get discouraged. The competition level was just something that they couldn’t handle.”

As the state’s 46 high school football programs get ready to start their fourth season under the new system later this month, does that mean it is a big success?

Well, like most things, the answer would be both yes and no, depending on who you ask.

Clearly, several programs in Class 1A have benefited from the change. Class 1A is made up of schools that have struggled to win lately for various reasons.

Five Downstate teams — Polytech, Early College, First State Military, Indian River and Seaford are in Class 1A. Polytech, IR and First State all had winning records and made the state tourney last fall.

And Seaford had gone 14-7 with a pair of state tournament appearances in the two previous seasons.

“I think it’s benefited a lot of programs,” said Smyrna athletic director Bill Schultz who was on the committee that set up the classes. “We’ve been able to keep a lot of programs around, keep them going and let them have competitive games throughout the season. I think that was one of the ultimate goals.

“You want to see the sport of football continue to grow and not regress. That’s what one of our goals of realignment was.”

Some people argue that Class 1A programs shouldn’t play for a state title — that three state champions are too many for a small state.

But Eilers said that knowing they have a reasonable chance at playing in a state tourney provides a lot of motivation for players.

“Now we have this new system, it’s obviously giving kids hope and a chance for a post-season,” he said, “and the possibility of a state title.”

On the other hand

At the other end of the spectrum, the new system doesn’t seem to have done Caesar Rodney any favors.

The Riders have struggled for much of the last decade. Now CR is in the 12-team Class 3A with the state’s biggest and most successful programs.

Most people agree that Class 3A teams face more challenging overall schedules now.

Whatever the reason, the Riders have gone just 2-29 in their three seasons under the new system.

But second-year CR coach Shaun Strickland doesn’t know how much things would change for the Riders right now if they were in Class 2A. He coached 2A program Milford in the first two years of the new classification.

The Riders fell to both 2A Lake Forest and Laurel last fall.

“When you look across the state and you look at Caravel, you look at Red Lion, you look at Howard, I don’t think there’s really any such thing as an easy win any more,” said Strickland. “I think teams have come up and done a nice job.”

At the same time, Strickland isn’t opposed to big schools dropping down a class to “get their footing and restart and then jump back up.”

With scheduling done in two-season cycles, next year is the next time any changes in the alignment could be made. Because of CR’s large enrollment, though, it seems that the Riders would never move down.

At a time when some players in the state don’t hesitate to transfer schools, Strickland said coaches wonder how their program’s classification effects people’s perception of it.

“I think everyone’s big concern is maintaining players and keeping guys in-district,” said Strickland. “Honestly, I think a lot of coaches look at it, if it means moving up or down to retain kids ... is possibly something that could be looked at and taken into consideration.”

Nothing’s perfect

When there are still blowouts — and there usually are some every weekend — someone on social media often chimes in, saying “I thought games were going to be more competitive now with the new system?”

But there was no way that grouping teams differently was going to fix every team’s problems.

The fact is, in order to align programs only with squads they’d be competitive with, you’d need a lot more than three classes.

Strickland, for one, would like to find a way to bring the Henlopen Conference back for football.

“I think everyone has their ideas and I don’t think there’s ever going to be a perfect system,” said Strickland. “It’s well-thought out so I think it’s working to a degree. When you look at it, there are probably some moves that could be made to help other teams and still keep it competitive.

“Would I love to go back to the old (Henlopen) North and South and (Division) I and II? That’s how I grew up and that’s what I remember. I think there’s a system for that. But where we’re at now, we’re doing the best we can.”

Eilers and Polytech, naturally, feel pretty good about the way things are right now.

With a number of returning players from last year’s big season, the Panthers are excited about this fall. And situations like that are perhaps the best part of the new alignment.

“The kids have been motivated, they’ve been more committed to football and coming to practice,” said Eilers. “The past three years have been really great for us. Kids are showing up every day and they’re excited to be there.

“The opportunity to compete is what we’re looking for. Them knowing that they have the ability to compete just makes football that much more fun for them. ... The kids think they have a fighting chance and that goes a long way.”

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