While I still maintain the Oregon State Athletic Association would have had an easier time of adminstering to a five class tier, there seems to be some postives slowly spinning out of this sexennial system as opposed to the pentamerous posse. (William Buckley eat your heart out!) 

Early speculation shows the 5A NorthWest Oregon Conference will be a posterchild  the OSAA can trump as a success story. The prognosticators proclaiming Wilsonville and Sherwood would stumble are finding that communities with a successful youth football program might trump the larger schools that rely on sheer numbers. Seven of the eight schools will thrive and develop but I pity poor Parkrose who again seems to be the unwanted stepchild in this process. It seemed a no-brainer to place Parkrose in with the current five other 5A PIL schools rounding out the conference at a manageable six schools. Not sure if the PIL disdained or Parkrose refused but that miscue seems to have been a stumble for Parkrose and the 5A PIL. That is one tweak that deserves some looking into. I can't help but wonder if the PIL schools will be playing "home and away and home and away" for their basketball schedule? Meanwhile, I have become a Parkrose Bronco fan. The NWOC coaches unanimously picked them to finish last. They have no depth and through a miracle, they retained a coach who is willing to continue to fight against all odds by being the first coach maybe since the Gerald Ford Administration to re-enlist for a second year.  If Coach Mitch Neilson stays the course and gets Parkrose back to the playoffs over the next couple of years, he'll be the hottest coaching prospect in Oregon.

Football is clearly a game of numbers and demographics. It'll be interesting to watch the power struggles between Lakeridge and Lake Oswego to see what and if any shift of balance occurs. With open enrollment in the city of Lake "O" and the newer facilities completed, it seems Lake Oswego High School is pulling in the athletes that Lakeridge would have had several years ago. If there is a USA vs. USSR arms race amongst the Oregon High Schools, this may be one of the best for public schools. They have the support and money to play the 'arms race' with some private schools that have bottomless pockets and enjoy Notre Dame football!

It may take some time to get used to the new system but as an old Newberg Tiger, I think we endured three league changes in the four years of high school. (Or did I take six years in high school?). With senility as my beacon, I believe as a freshman, the TYV League was in its final year. (The Tualatin Yamhill Valley) and then the CVL(Coast Valley) started up. Possibly the largest single league ever in state annals. It seemed like 14 schools were in our league with Astoria, Tillamook, Forest Grove, Dallas, LaSalle, Silverton, Central, Sweet Home, Estacada, Tigard, McMinnville (Newberg's longstanding slowdance partner), Molalla and Sandy. Then my senior year it was the Western Valley League (WVL) where some of the smaller schools dropped out. What will be strange is getting into the mindset now that little Sherwood will be tangling with North Eugene, Corvallis and Churchill who I looked at as being super giants among the high school ranks when I was younger.  

Our close friends treated my wife, myself and our 13 year old daughter to a wonderful evening with some great seats at the Elton John concert Sunday night. I realized there are some striking similarities between watching your favorite team and a favorite artist. Both are capable of allowing you a sense of euphoria. The happiness and glee derived from a performance and shared with those around you. The touchdown or basket or first few chords of that favorite song starting up is a coveted and treasured moment in time. Sharing those pinnacles in time with your son or daughter make it even more memorable. There was an odd sense of melancholy for me however as one of the new tunes performed lamented in ever catchy lyrics that through difficulty and pain and suffering, a bridge was crossed and the end destination was achieved.  With a sea of happy and bobbing heads, I felt a stab of pain for the mother of a Tigard High School graduate who will never feel the joy of being with a group of friends watching another touchdown or listening to the band starting up their favorite song. The mother and father will never share a 'special pinnacle in time' with their son Lukas Glenn. The very thought of something like that happening to our family terrifies me beyond comprehension. As we walked out into the warm early autumn night, I couldn't help but play one of the tunes Elton John has tabled out of respect for the two is was originally meant for. "Candle in the Wind." Here's hoping one day a grief stricken mother can enjoy the Friday Night Lights and smile and remember the special pinnacles in time without the pain.