Eastern Connecticut Conference principals will discuss a number of different alignment and scheduling options and whether the conference needs a commissioner at Friday's Board of Directors meeting.

The meeting's result will help determine if there is a future for the ECC or whether several schools explore other options.

The discussions also come amid some league upheaval, highlighted by East Lyme's recent dalliance with the Southern Connecticut Conference.

The Day has also learned from several sources that Bacon Academy, Montville, Stonington and Waterford are considering a move to the Shoreline Conference, with existing Shoreline schools departing the Pequot Football Conference to form their own league with their new ECC brethren.

Those eight schools - the Valley Regional/Old Lyme cooperative, the Old Saybrook/Westbrook cooperative, Coginchaug, Cromwell, Haddam-Killingworth, Hyde of New Haven, Morgan and North Branford - would combine with the four current ECC schools, sources said, to create a six-team, two-division format.

Three other Shoreline schools - East Hampton, Hale-Ray and Portland - do not offer football, although East Hampton is currently part of a cooperative program with Vinal Tech and Goodwin Tech and is a member of the Constitution State Conference.

As for Friday's ECC meeting, sources said principals will consider mostly a two-divisional alignment and scheduling, based on either enrollment or program strength. A PowerPoint presentation, the sources said, will illustrate what the divisions would resemble.

The principals will also discuss whether to maintain the league's current "opt-out" policy, in which league schools agree not to play each other in divisional "cross-over" games. The policy has caused consternation among some athletic directors and their difficulties in completing schedules.

Proposals for football scheduling, sources said, will include two divisions by enrollment and strength and three divisions featuring a three-team "super" division.

Football by enrollment would feature Norwich Free Academy, East Lyme, Woodstock, Ledyard, Fitch, New London and Bacon in the Large Division and Waterford, Stonington, Plainfield, Griswold, Killingly, Montville and Windham in the Small.

Football by strength, according to sources: Ledyard, New London, Montville, Stonington, NFA, Windham and Griswold in one division, followed by Plainfield, Killingly, Woodstock, East Lyme, Waterford, Bacon and Fitch in the other.

They'll also discuss a 3-5-5-1 setup, sources said, which would place Ledyard, New London and NFA in Division I, guaranteed seven league games. Division II (Windham, Griswold, Plainfield, Montville and Stonington) and Division III (East Lyme, Bacon, Fitch, Waterford, Killingly) would get nine league games. Woodstock would be a division of one with five league games against Division III teams only.

Principals will also discuss the need, role, responsibilities and stipend for a potential ECC commissioner.

m.dimauro@theday.com

Twitter: @BCgenius