Gridders tackle new season, conference

Jackson Stevens, No. 8, scores for Central High in Friday's opener against Eagle Point. The Panthers (1-0, 0-0 SD2) had little trouble dispatching their non-conference foe, blanking the Eagles 42-0. The local lads are at Beaverton on Friday and at Crescent Valley Sept. 13. They return home Sept. 27 to host South Albany in the preseason finale. Photo by Lance Masterson.

There’s little question Gabe Haines is one of the better players on the Central High School varsity football team.

The senior lineman saw limited varsity action his freshman year, but was a first team all-Mid-Willamette Conference (MWC) selection his sophomore and junior years. Through no fault of his own, Haines will not be named first team all-MWC after this season.

That’s because the MWC, in football, is no more, gone, disappeared. One of the state’s toughest Class 5A divisions couldn’t survive realignment as determined by the Oregon School Activities Association (OSAA).

“It’s kind of weird,” Haines said of the change. “There were cool rivalries that we had, like us and Dallas, Crescent Valley and Corvallis.”

This move to disband came against Central’s expressed desire to keep the MWC’s tradition and history alive.

“The OSAA accepted petitions for a bunch of 6A schools to play down, so it changed the number of 5A teams. (The OSAA) couldn’t make sense of how to do it. So they made special districts,” said Athletic Director Brett Baldwin of realignment. “Okay, we went, I went, and testified leave us alone in our 10-team league. I said it works. I think up north in the Wilsonville area they were going to have a 10. But (OSAA) didn’t want to do it. So they broke us up.”

Breaking up is hard to do, but the Panthers didn’t even receive a phone call, Baldwin added.

“They didn’t come to us. We read about it online,” Baldwin said when asked how Central learned of the OSAA’s decision.

Phone call or not, Central is now part of Special District 3. While former MWC mates Silverton, Woodburn and McKay join the Panthers there, cross-county rival Dallas - which is in Special District 2 - will not.

The Panthers meet Crescent Valley and South Albany, another former MWC mate, in preseason. But do not meet the Dragons then, either.

Panthers head coach Joel Everett also has questions.

“I would ask OSAA why they broke us up when they wouldn't have done that to other schools. I know we don't share a school district, but it’s been common knowledge since we came up to 5A that we are seen as a packaged deal,” Everett said. “It would have been nice to do a non-conference game, but even that decision was taken away from us. Sad all around.”

Joining the Panthers and the other three schools in SD2 are Wilsonville and Canby. Which means any district title run for the Panthers must go through the last two state champions: Silverton in 2022, Wilsonville in 2023.

“I didn't know it would be possible to be in a tougher conference than we already were in since moving to 5A. The OSAA just proved me wrong,” Everett said. “Obviously we know Silverton well and have struggled to match their size and speed from year in to year out … We now get to say hello to another 5A championship staple in Wilsonville. It will be a good measuring stick for what kind of team we have when we get to go against traditionally what are some of the best teams in 5A.”

Haines agrees with his coach’s assessment.

“I think it’s going to be pretty tough. Wilsonville will be hard. Silverton, we know, plays good football. But I think we’ll be all right,” he added.

Expectations are that Canby won’t be a pushover, either.

“I know Canby is a big school that has … seemed to turn their program around. They will be a top 10 team, I'm sure,” Everett said.

Former MWC rivals Corvallis, Crescent Valley, Lebanon, South Albany and West Albany join the Dragons in SD3.

These two special districts are comprised of six teams each, thus Central has the flexibility to play a complete slate of preseason games. Something that was not possible in the 10 team MWC. 

Realignment was needed because of the migration south of several 6A schools. Moving on down were Aloha, Forest Grove, Glencoe, Roseburg, South Eugene and Willamette high schools.

After realignment, Class 5A consists of four special districts and the Intermountain Conference, with its base in the Bend area. SD 1 consists of eight teams, SD4 nine.

“I understand the reasoning behind the realignment; 9- and 10-team leagues for football are very difficult on schedules for all the different sized leagues when it comes to scheduling non-league games. The decision to move us I question,” Everett said. “The biggest adjustment will be prepping for new teams that we've never played before or we are not as familiar with.”

Central opted out of a jamboree, choosing instead to play their first of four preseason games Friday, Aug. 30, against Eagle Point.

Then they’re at Beaverton on Sept. 6, at Crescent Valley on Sept. 13 and then, following a bye week, host South Albany on Sept. 27 to conclude preseason.

These games factor into the power rankings, which factors into playoff positioning. But preseason play offers other benefits.

“It gives us some flexibility in creating schedules that we haven't had in the past four to five years,” Everett said. “We can turn up or down perceived difficulty in schedules based on where out talent level might be.”

It’s into the fire for the Panthers when they travel to Wilsonville, Oct. 4, for the SD2 opener, and then host Silverton Oct. 11.

Central will not lack for numbers this season, as practice opened with some 80 players in uniform. This is the program’s largest number since COVID. Varsity teams can carry no more than 50 players.

Volleyball and soccer fans don’t have to worry about a similar fate. As the MWC is alive and well for all other teams.