WILSONVILLE — The Roseburg High School football team will have a new home for the 2024 season after the Oregon School Activities Association Executive Board approved a series of changes at its meeting Monday.
The board approved Roseburg’s temporary move from Class 6A to 5A for football only, along with a number of other changes, including the shifting of leagues and classifications for other football teams in Douglas County.
Roseburg was eligible to petition to play down at a lower classification based on its winning percentage against 6A competition over the past two seasons. The Indians had a record of just 2-15 (12%), well below the benchmark to be considered for a possible move (22%).
With the reclassification, Roseburg football will be placed in a league with Thurston, Springfield, Churchill, North Eugene, Willamette, South Eugene, Crater and Eagle Point. South Eugene and Willamette are Class 6A schools already playing down a classification for football.
The OSAA’s “Petition to Play Down” option is intended to be a temporary move for football teams to get back on their feet and eventually return to their original classification. The guidelines stipulate a team would return to its original level of play if it wins 67% or more of its games or advances beyond the first round of the state playoffs.
While the goal of the move is to make Roseburg more competitive, the move down won’t lead to automatic success, new RHS head coach Matt Watson said last week.
“We don’t expect anything to be handed to us. If we want something, we’re going to go out and we’re going to have to take it. And we’re going to have to take it from some pretty tough teams,” Watson said.
Thurston is a perennial state title contender, most recently playing in the championship game in 2021 after winning titles in 2019 and ’18.
“It’s not like we’re suddenly punching down. We’ve got nothing but respect for the teams we’ll be facing,” Watson added.
Other football-related changes approved by the Board on Monday included South Umpqua, Douglas and Sutherlin being placed in a new 3A Special District with just six teams, rather than the 10-team league the local trio was in last season.
The Lancers, Trojans and Bulldogs will remain in a league with Brookings-Harbor and Coquille, and will add the Siuslaw Vikings of Florence.
The Glide football team has been shifted to a new league in 2A. The Wildcats have been added to a league with Bonanza, Culver, Lost River, Lowell, Oakridge and Rogue River.
North Douglas and Yoncalla have chosen to end their football co-op and will play individually. They will both be placed in the Class 1A 8-man Special District 1. Yoncalla petitioned to play at the 8-man level despite having a school enrollment that placed the Eagles at the 6-man level.
Glendale and Riddle are also moving from 6-man to 8-man football due to enrollment numbers and will join North Douglas, Yoncalla and Camas Valley in Special District 1.
