UPDATE 1/26: The OSAA football ad hoc committee made some modifications to the proposed 2024 special districts at its meeting Wednesday. 4A Special District 4, which includes Henley and Mazama, was not changed from the original proposal, but the other three leagues that include Basin teams were. The changes are noted under each league section. Playoff parameters were not altered despite some classifications losing or gaining teams.
The OSAA executive board will vote on the revised leagues at its meeting Feb. 5.
–
League schedules will look different for each of the Basin’s OSAA teams this year.
On Friday, the OSAA football ad hoc committee released its proposed special districts for the 2024 season. Klamath Union, Lost River and Bonanza’s previously announced classification changes ended up altering the landscape for every other Basin squad–some a lot more than others. The leagues aren’t final and could be altered further at the committee’s next meeting Jan. 24, but here’s where things currently stand for Basin teams.
4A Special District 4: Henley, Mazama, Ashland, Hidden Valley, Marshfield, North Bend
The 4A classification shrank from 32 teams to 28, but with all four departures coming from different leagues, the committee didn’t make any other changes to the league compositions or modify the playoff parameters.
The only thing different about Henley and Mazama’s league is the departure of Klamath Union, which became eligible to play down after going 1-15 against 4A teams over the past two seasons. With one fewer team in SD4, each squad will have an extra non-league game this season. Henley and Mazama could simply fill this spot with Klamath Union; the Pelicans’ schedule will still have room for three non-league opponents.
3A Special District 5: Klamath Union, Lakeview, Brookings-Harbor, Cascade Christian, North Valley, Phoenix, St. Mary’s Medford
The committee added a sixth league in 3A, as the classification grew from 37 teams to 40. This means the playoff parameters will change: The top two teams in each league will receive automatic bids, leaving four at-large bids to be determined by the computer rankings.
All of the new SD5 teams (except Klamath Union) were in the 10-team SD3 last season, with Cascade Christian, Lakeview and North Valley finishing first, second and third. Cascade Christian went 13-0 and won the 3A championship last season, and Lakeview and North Valley both made the quarterfinals, so it won’t be easy for Klamath Union (or any team) to earn one of SD5’s auto bids.
The Pelicans will have some favorable matchups, though. St. Mary’s Medford went 4-5 last season, winning by an average of 3.5 points and losing by an average of 41.4 points; Brookings-Harbor went 1-8 and was outscored 350-85; and Phoenix, in its second season playing down from 4A, went 0-9 (the Pirates haven’t won a game since 2019).
Lakeview’s only regular-season loss in 2023 was to Cascade Christian, so the Honkers should be among the contenders for an auto bid and will likely have a good chance at an at-large bid if they finish third. Their game against Klamath Union will be the first meeting between the teams since 1938 (a 69-0 win for the Pelicans) and Lakeview’s first game against another Basin squad since 2019 (a 17-7 loss to Lost River).
UPDATE 1/26: The committee didn’t move any more teams into or out of 3A but did move a few teams to different leagues, including Brookings-Harbor (which will now play in SD4). This means Klamath Union and Lakeview will have four openings for non-league games.
2A Special District 5: Bonanza, Lost River, Culver, Glide, Lowell, Rogue River
The committee also added a sixth league in 2A, as the classification grew from 35 teams to 37 (officially 38; Chemawa is listed as a 2A team but will play a JV schedule). The updated playoff parameters will be the same as those set to be used in 3A: two auto bids per league with four at-large bids determined by the computer rankings.
In addition to Bonanza and Lost River, which were moved up from 1A in all sports by the OSAA executive board, SD5 combines teams from three different 2A leagues: the Tri-River Conference (Culver), SD2 (Lowell) and SD3 (Glide and Rogue River). Lowell, which went 12-1 and won the 2A championship, was the only one of those teams to win more than three games last season.
Lowell’s matchup with Lost River, which went 11-0 (including a win at 2A quarterfinalist Heppner) and captured its second straight 1A 8-player championship in 2023, has immediate game-of-the-year potential and could decide the league title. Bonanza made the 1A[8] playoffs in 2023 but finished 4-6, including a 49-6 loss to Lost River, so a postseason berth might be harder to come by for the Antlers as they adjust to 9-player football.
UPDATE 1/26: The committee brought two teams up from 1A[8], giving 2A a total of 39 varsity teams. Oakridge, which hasn’t won a game since 2019, was initially going to play down but will no longer do so. The Warriors were added to SD5, giving the league seven teams instead of six.
It’s worth noting that St. Paul was the other team brought up (it was placed in SD3); the Buckaroos and Lost River have played each other six times in the past four seasons. The Raiders have won the last three meetings, including the 2022 1A[8] championship and 2023 1A[8] semifinal.
1A[8] Special District 1: Chiloquin, Crosspoint Christian, Camas Valley, Crow/City First Christian, Mohawk, North Douglas, Oakridge, Prospect Charter/Butte Falls, Riddle
The 1A 8-player division grew from 21 teams to 24. That number still fits well into the current three-league layout and playoff parameters (the top three teams in each league earn automatic bids with three at-large bids determined by the computer rankings), so the committee didn’t make any changes there. However, SD1 saw massive turnover, with half of its teams–Bonanza, Lost River and Myrtle Point–moving to 2A, leaving Chiloquin, Crosspoint Christian and Camas Valley behind.
There’s a lot to unpack with the new additions, which bring SD1 to nine teams. Oakridge, which hasn’t won a game since it last played 8-player football in 2019, is playing down from 2A. North Douglas played the past two seasons in 2A as part of a co-op with Yoncalla (which will now play in the 1A 6-player division) and finished 4-5 both years. Mohawk went 3-5 as a 1A[8] independent last season but played seven 1A[6] teams. Crow/City First Christian, Prospect Charter/Butte Falls and Riddle were all moved up from 1A[6] after their enrollments grew past the division maximum. They finished 2-7, 3-4 and 3-5 respectively in 2023.
Camas Valley, Crosspoint Christian and Chiloquin were the bottom three teams in SD1 last year, and it’s entirely possible that they could be the top three teams in SD1 this year. Chiloquin was eligible to play down after going 2-12 against other 1A[8] teams over the past two seasons but opted not to, and the Panthers now have a schedule that gives them a real chance for a turnaround year. Crosspoint Christian, which made the playoffs for the first time in school history last season, should be in great position to return.
UPDATE 1/26: 1A[8] will now have 22 teams instead of 24 after the committee moved two teams to 2A and swapped two others with teams from 1A[6]. SD1 lost Oakridge (moved back to 2A) and Crow/City First Christian (moved back to 1A[6]) and gained Glendale, giving it eight teams instead of nine. Glendale hasn’t had a winning season since 2010 and went 1-8 in 1A[6] last year.
