It's official: Vikings return to Sky-Em League


The Siuslaw Vikings are headed to a revised Class 4A Sky-Em League next year, the Oregon School Activities Association decided Monday.

The final six-classification model supported by the OSAA Classification and Districting Committee was adopted with one little tweak which allowed Rogue River to drop to Class 2A.

Siuslaw will be in league with Cottage Grove, Elmira, Junction City, Marist and Marshfield for a four-year block starting in the fall of 2018.

The travel will be easier, but the competition could be as tough or tougher, despite North Bend leaving for Class 5A and Brookings-Harbor, Douglas and South Umpqua heading to the new Class 3A Umpqua River Conference.

North Bend is joining the nine-school Midwestern League, which includes Ashland, Churchill, Crater, Eagle Point, North Eugene, Springfield, Thurston and Willamette.

There will be 33 schools in Class 4A, down from 40 the past four years, and six leagues, down from seven.

The Far West League is no more.

The six 4A leagues for 2018-2022 include:

  • 4A-1 Cowapa — Astoria, Banks, Seaside, Tillamook, Valley Catholic.
  • 4A-2 Tri-Valley — Corbett, Estacada, Gladstone, Madras, Molalla, North Marion.
  • 4A-3 Oregon West — Newport, Philomath, Sisters, Stayton, Sweet Home, Woodburn.
  • 4A-4 Sky-Em — Cottage Grove, Elmira, Junction City, Marist, Marshfield, Siuslaw.
  • 4A-5 Skyline — Henley, Hidden Valley, Klamath Union, Mazama, North Valley, Phoenix.
  • 4A-6 Greater Oregon — Baker, La Grande, McLoughlin, Ontario.

The two schools moving to 4A include Marist and Woodburn, both down from 5A.

Nine schools are moving from 4A, with four headed to 5A — North Bend, Scappoose, Crook County and Cascade.

Five schools are moving from 4A to 3A, including Brookings-Harbor, Douglas, South Umpqua, Sutherlin and Yamhill-Carlton.

Brookings-Harbor, which should be in 4A, is getting a geographical exemption to move down a class.

Adopted classifications and districts are online at http://www.osaa.org/docs/committees/classification/1822AdoptedDistricts.pdf