The OSAA executive board finalized the 2024 football special districts at its meeting Monday after the football ad committee went through two rounds of draft proposals in January. Here’s a refreshed version of our previous story outlining the changes in store for each Basin team.
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 football ad hoc 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.
3A Special District 5: Klamath Union, Lakeview, 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. 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).
2A Special District 5: Bonanza, Lost River, Culver, Glide, Lowell, Oakridge, Rogue River
The committee also added a sixth league in 2A, as the classification grew from 35 teams to 39 (officially 40; 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 Oakridge) 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. Oakridge hasn’t won a game since 2019.
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.
It’s also worth noting that the committee moved St. Paul up to 2A (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, Glendale, Mohawk, North Douglas, Prospect Charter/Butte Falls, Riddle, Yoncalla
The 1A 8-player division grew from 21 teams to 23. 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. North Douglas and Yoncalla played the past two seasons in 2A as a co-op and finished 4-5 both years (Yoncalla was placed in 1A[6] in the committee’s draft proposal, but the OSAA executive board moved it to 1A[8]). Mohawk went 3-5 as a 1A[8] independent last season but played seven 1A[6] teams. Prospect Charter/Butte Falls and Riddle were both moved up from 1A[6] after their enrollments grew past the division maximum. They finished 3-4 and 3-5 respectively in 2023. Glendale hasn’t had a winning season since 2010 and went 1-8 in 1A[6] last year.
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.
