The Canby Cougars football team could be playing in a new special district next year consisting of 5A powerhouse Wilsonville, along with teams from the Milwaukie, Salem and Redmond areas, under a tentative proposal by the OSAA.
Canby was one of three 6A high schools given the option to move down to the 5A classification based on their winning percentages over the past two years, and the only one to ultimately decide to go that route. The two that declined were Franklin (1-8) and Madison (0-8), both in Portland.
The decision to move down guaranteed what classification Canby would be playing at, but the league was up in the air. That’s still the case, but some potential clarity has come in the form of an early proposal by the OSAA Football Ad Hoc Committee, which last met on Dec. 16.
Their tentative proposal would reshuffle the entire 5A classification, placing Canby in a new Special District 2 with Wilsonville, La Salle Preparatory and Rex Putnam from Milwaukie, North Salem and McKay from Salem, and Redmond and Ridgeview from Redmond.
The placement with neighboring Wilsonville, a potential athletics rival, was expected. McKay, one of the four 6A teams playing down (along with Forest Grove, South Eugene and, now, Canby), went 2-7 last year at the 5A level.
Under this proposal, the top four teams in each of the four 5A leagues would qualify for the postseason. Three of the seven teams Canby would share a league with under the current proposal made the playoffs last season.
The next meeting of the Football Ad Hoc Advisory Committee will be Jan. 22. Questions and comments may be sent to Brad Garrett (the assistant executive director of the OSAA, not the actor) at bradg@osaa.org.
The committee’s final recommendations will be forwarded to the OSAA Executive Board for review and potential adoption in February.
| School | City | 2019 Record | 2019 Playoffs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canby | Canby | 2-7 (6A) | N/A |
| La Salle Prep | Milwaukie | 4-5 | 1st Round |
| McKay | Salem | 2-7 | N/A |
| North Salem | Salem | 2-7 | N/A |
| Putnam | Milwaukie | 2-6 | N/A |
| Redmond | Redmond | 6-4 | 1st Round |
| Ridgeview | Redmond | 2-7 | N/A |
| Wilsonville | Wilsonville | 8-3 | Quarterfinals |