NEONOW FILE PHOTOS
A draft from the OSAA classification and districting committee released last week takes the Hermiston Bulldogs out of its current conference and would place the team in a 6A conference that would pit the school against Portland teams.
If the re-classifying plan goes through, it would take effect in the 2018-19 school year.
A second plan keeps Hermiston as a 5A team, but would also put the Bulldogs in a conference heavy with Portland-area teams.
Under the first proposal released by the OSAA, Hermiston would become a 6A team and play in the Mt. Hood Conference with eight other teams including the Central Catholic Rams and David Douglas Scots out of Portland, the Barlow Bruins, Centennial Eagles, and the Gresham Gophers out of Gresham, the Clackamas Cavaliers out of Clackamas, the Reynolds Raiders out of Troutdale, and the Oregon City Pioneers out of Oregon City.
The second plan that keeps Hermiston as a 5A team would also have it in the Mt. Hood Conference with the above same teams, with the addition of the Sandy Pioneers.
The new classification and conference would minimally increase the average travel time for Hermiston, up from its current distance of 169 miles to 179 miles. In terms of the average population of the cities the Bulldogs would travel to, the plan would increase from its current average of a little over 46,000 to 200,000, due primarily to Portland’s population of 609,000.
The committee received limited testimony on the re-classification plans so far, but said the overarching consensus of the attendees was that they want to compete against schools of like size.
The Bulldogs are now in the 5A Special District 1 conference. Its current conference opponents have an average student population of 1,099. If Hermiston is moved to the new 6A Mt. Hood Conference, the Bulldogs would face opponents with an average student population of 1,768.
The committee will continue meeting throughout the school year and will make its final recommendations to the OSAA Executive Board at the October 2017 Special Classification and Districting meeting.
