The Lehighton football season just ended, but new challenges are already on the horizon for 2018.

The Indians will bump up to class 4A next season, as the school’s male enrollment is a slightly over the cutoff that the PIAA has set.

Lehighton is the only one of the nine Times News area football programs that is expected to change classes next season.

“They take your 9th, 10th, and 11th grade classes and add up your enrollment,” explained Lehighton Athletic Director Kyle Spotts of the state’s process. “We have a larger than usual freshman boys class. In football, we bumped from 3A. We’ve also moved on the boys’ side in four different sports. It’s just where the state sets the numbers and where we fell in it.”

Although the Tribe will still see familiar rivals such as Tamaqua and Jim Thorpe in the regular season during Schuylkill League Division 1 play, this abruptly ends the hope of any district playoff rematches for the time being. Any football fan, player, or coach can agree those games were great for the neighboring school districts and communities.

“I just felt that we were a pretty good fit in the 3A bracket,” said Lehighton head coach Tom McCarroll. “But at the end of the day, we don’t have control over that … I’ve never been the kind of person to shy away from bigger teams, better teams, however you want to classify them. I’m excited about whatever possibilities we have.”

Next year, McCarroll’s team will likely have the following competition in 4A: Blue Mountain, Northwestern, Bangor, Pottsville, Saucon Valley, Allentown Central Catholic, and Wilson, who also bumped up from 3A.

“You kind of go back where we were a couple years ago with Saucon Valley and Blue Mountain,” said Spotts. “Obviously, in my opinion, the outliers are Bethlehem Catholic and Allentown Central Catholic in that classification. It’s just a matter if they stay there. Right now Bethlehem Catholic is 3A and they bumped up to 4A in the last cycle … We won’t find that out until December.”

Bethlehem Catholic’s enrollment qualifies them to move down to 3A. However, speculation is, unofficially, that the Golden Hawks might have to play at a higher level of competition to remain in the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference — whether it’s 4A, or even 5A. The only other definite move in D11 football is Pocono Mountain East moving down from 6A to 5A

“I think Becahi and Central are probably your outliers, because they’re in the EPC and in the Lehigh Valley,” said McCarroll. “There are various parameters there that people perceive. But with the exception of those two, there are teams that we are familiar with and we match up well with.”

It’s yet to be seen how many football teams will qualify for the D11 playoffs in 4A, but last year, four teams qualified.

“The margin for error is going to be less than what we had for the last two years,” McCarroll said. “We were 4-6 last year (2016) and made the playoffs and I don’t see that happening. But it’s exciting and it’s a challenge for our kids. Regardless of what our personal opinions are, I still think it’s a good challenge for our school and for our team. The higher up in classification you get, the quality of competition or level of performance is supposed to be increased. If you look at it from that perspective, you have to be excited to compete at a higher level.”

The deadline to notify the PIAA for any school planning to move up to a higher classification is Dec. 6.

“Anytime you get an opportunity to play different schools it’s an opportunity. However you take that is different for each individual,” Spotts said.