Hold up, you guys. Another Oregon high school football team just forfeited a varsity game, and this one hits different. Stayton decided to throw in the towel on their Week 7 conference game against rival Cascade on October 15, just one day before kickoff.
A Rivalry Lost Because of “Not Enough Participants”
The Oregon School Activities Association scoreboard dropped the official word: “The contest was forfeited because a team did not have enough participants in order to play. The team forfeited prior to competition; the contest was never started. Forfeit posted by OSAA on 10/15/2026.” It is not like the game even started before they pulled the plug. For Cascade, who are the reigning 4A state champions, losing this battle against one of their biggest rivals right in the heart of the season is just brutal. Their athletic director and coach, Shane Hedrick, said they got a heads-up the day before that Stayton was worried about their roster and team health. Then, on October 15, the call came: Stayton was pulling both their varsity and JV teams.
Hedrick gets it, saying, “We totally understand the safety of the game and respect that.” But man, you can feel the sting when he adds, “This game is so strong in this community in this era. And it’s senior night for us … but the underlying thing is that the game has to be safe, we totally agree to that.” Imagine Senior Night without your biggest rival? Oof.
The Growing Problem Nobody Is Talking About Enough
You would think a team with 35 players on its varsity roster, like Stayton, could field a squad. But apparently not. Before this bombshell, Stayton was already on a two-game slide, sitting at 3-3 overall and ranked No. 21 in Class 4A. This is not just a one-off thing, either. We have seen this mess pop up way too often this fall across the Willamette Valley. Blanchet Catholic, a 3A school, cancelled their whole varsity season back in early September after just two games because of low numbers. And South Eugene, a 5A school, called off their varsity season almost a week before it even started. Even in the same conference as Stayton and Cascade this week, we saw Central/Kings Valley Charter vs. Gladstone/Riverdale get scrubbed for the exact same reason: “not enough participants in order to play.” And get this: Gladstone/Riverdale has already forfeited their Week 9 game against Cascade too! This is a legit growing trend, folks. It is now hitting Class 4A’s Special District 2, and it is a huge problem for the sport.
So, where do they go from here? Cascade’s next varsity game is set for October 23, at home against McKay. Stayton’s varsity team is scheduled to host Philomath on October 23. But honestly, with several more one-game forfeits and season cancellations piling up across Oregon this fall, you have to wonder how many more teams will face this impossible choice. It is a tough look for high school football, and it is getting harder to ignore.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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