AUGUSTA, Maine — The prospect of eight-player high school football in Maine advanced another step Thursday as a Maine Principals’ Association panel backed the establishment of two divisions of the format. The MPA’s football committee approved the establishment of a large-school division of eight-player football for schools with enrollments of more than 350 students and a small-school division for schools with enrollments less than 350. In addition, the panel voted to eliminate Class E football, a division established two years ago to help revive struggling programs. “I think we put a framework around eight-man football,” MPA assistant executive director Mike Burnham said.