OSAA neutral site policies give 5A Central Oregon teams the short end of the stick

This Friday, the #2 seed and undefeated Mountain View Cougars will head over the Cascades for a neutral site semifinal game. The team they are playing is #6 and 40 minutes away from the neutral site field.

The Cougars had to travel over the Cascades last year for the semifinals and the championship games. in 2022, The state champs and the #1 seed, the Summit Storm also had to travel over the Cascades for the semis and final games.

In an email to NewsChannel 21, the Oregon School Activities Association stated: "Thank you for reaching out. Placing 16 semifinal games is always a difficult task and the OSAA does not make these decisions lightly, but I can provide some clarity on the process, which is dependent on the teams that advance, as well as the facilities available.

"For the semifinal and final rounds, a team’s seeding does not impact the decision over where the game is placed – meaning we don’t provide deference to teams based on ranking. Games are placed at neutral, not equidistant, sites – the latter is nearly impossible.

"Facility availability is a factor, as semifinal and final sites are played on turf – which makes the potential options of Ridgeview and Sisters you mentioned ineligible, as they have grass fields.

"Semifinal and final games have been played over the mountains – Summit High School and Caldera High School are hosting games this Saturday, as is Eastern Oregon University.

Thank you, and I hope that provided some clarity."