The Siuslaw Vikings will be playing closer to home and against bigger schools next year based on the final recommendation of the Oregon School Athletic Association's Classification and Districting Committee.

The final 6-classification model — revealed Thursday — is the same as the previous one, placing Siuslaw in a revamped Class 4A Sky-Em League with Cottage Grove, Elmira, Junction City, Marist and Marshfield.

On balance, the trips will be shorter than in recent years in the Far West League.

No three-hour trip to Brookings-Harbor. Not even a two-hour trip to South Umpqua (Tri City) or Douglas (Winston).

The committee's 33-school 4A adjusted enrollment will fall between 350 and 664 students, using a formula that arrives at something known as ADM (adjusted daily membership).

Only Banks (368), Elmira (370) and Sisters (371) are lower than Siuslaw's ADM of 376 in Class 4A.

The final recommendation of the committee will be considered at the Oct. 16 OSAA Executive Board and Delegate Assembly in Wilsonville.

Member schools as well as the public still may provide written and in-person responses during that meeting.

The revised leagues will go into effect next school year and will be in place for four school years.

The committee's report, with a list of new leagues, is online at http://www.osaa.org/docs/committees/classification/20170925update.pdf.

NOTES

North Bend was assigned to the 9-school, Class 5A Midwestern League along with Ashland, Churchill, Crater, Eagle Point, North Eugene, Springfield, Thurston and Willamette. ...

North Bend likely will make a last-ditch appeal at the Oct. 16 meeting to play down a classification. ...

Brookings-Harbor, Douglas and South Umpqua will be in the 7-school, Class 3A Umpqua River Conference along with Cascade Christian, Rogue River, St. Mary's and Sutherlin. ...

Brookings-Harbor, which has an ADM of 445, was given a geographic exemption by the committee to move down a classification. ...