Sports
FUTURE IN
QUESTION
W
ILSONVILLE
— The future
of 8-man foot-
ball in Oregon
is currently up in the air.
The Oregon School Activ-
ities Association Football Ad
Hoc Committee released its
fi rst proposal for the 2022-
2026 football time block on
Tuesday, Dec. 20, which sug-
gested doing away with 8-man
football among 2A and 1A
schools. The public meeting
on Dec. 20 proposed divisions
of 9-man and 6-man leagues,
sion to begin the initial stages
of reclassifi cation. The com-
mittee also took into consid-
eration the Oregon Athletic
Coaches Association’s small
“It’s a bummer they’d be getting rid of 8-man.
People are really starting to get behind this.”
— Josh Cobb, Powder Valley head coach
Valley head coach Josh
Cobb said. “People are really
starting to get behind this.”
At the meeting, the OSAA
Ad Hoc Committee met virtu-
ally and conducted a work ses-
school survey, which took
place in the fall and collected
trends from the last fi ve years
of 11-man, 8-man and 6-man
football.
After reviewing the infor-
BY NIK STRENG
The Oregonian
See, 8-man/Page A8
See, OSAA/Page A8
OSAA proposal about 8-man football sparks
negative reaction from local coaches
which would alter the land-
scape of football in Union and
Wallowa counties.
“It’s a bummer they’d be
getting rid of 8-man,” Powder
OSAA may
consider
NIL for prep
athletes
mation on hand, the com-
mittee came away in support
of three divisions between
2A and 1A schools. Based on
school enrollment, two poten-
tial sections of 9-man and one
division of 6-man teams were
drafted.
The potential divisions
slated Enterprise, Cove, Elgin,
Imbler and Union in the
9-man leagues, while Powder
Valley, Wallowa and Joseph
would play 6-man. The pro-
posal raised eyebrows among
several local coaches, such as
Cobb and the 2021 1A state
Alex Wittwer/The Observer, File
The Observer
Tuesday, December 28, 2021
PORTLAND — In the
summer, new rules allowed col-
lege athletes the ability to profi t
off their name, image and like-
ness (NIL).
Immediately, college stars
like Oregon football player
Kayvon Thibodeaux and basket-
ball player Sedona Prince were
able to start cashing in on their
brands, including sponsorship
and non-fungible token (NFT)
deals.
But could the same rules be
extended to those in the high
school ranks? It’s a little closer
than one might think.
While the National Federa-
tion of State High School Asso-
ciations was quick to respond in
July that high schoolers would
not be able to profi t from NIL,
many states have since switched
their positions. High school stu-
dent-athletes in states like Cali-
fornia and New York can profi t
via NIL. And Oregon could be
joining those ranks soon.
Oregon School Activities
Association Executive Director
Peter Weber told the Oregonian/
OregonLive that the OSAA and
the OSAA’s Executive Board
have had discussions on the
topic. Weber said the OSAA has
been monitoring what is hap-
pening in New York and will
have language for the board to
review during the Feb. 7 meeting.
Central Catholic football
coach Steve Pyne said he was not
aware that this was something
that the OSAA was discussing,
but raised equity concerns as the
only student-athletes who would
likely profi t from their NIL are
those who also would benefi t at
the college level.
“It makes sense to me at the
college level as the NCAA makes
millions of dollars off of the ath-
letes,” he said. “My hope is that it
does not happen.”
Weber agreed that NIL deals
could lead to equity concerns,
adding that the OSAA is mon-
itoring what other states are
doing before creating their own
language.
To avoid certain inequities
while allowing student-athletes to
profi t from their NIL, California
and New York both employ a
rule that student-athletes are
able to participate in commercial
endorsements so long as they are
not affi liated with their schools or
the state athletic association.
Casey Vaughan (4) and Kaden Krieger (5) lead the Powder Valley Badgers back onto the fi eld following halftime at Baker High School on Saturday,
Nov. 27, 2021. Powder Valley lost to the Adrian Antelopes 46-38 during the fi nal match for the OSAA 1A State Championship in a heartbreaking fi nale that
saw a successful comeback attempt in the fourth quarter by Adrian.
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
A7
SPORTS SHORT
Former La Grande quarterback to transfer from Utah State
By DAVIS CARBAUGH
The Observer
LOGAN, Utah — Utah
State quarterback Andrew Pea-
sley has entered the NCAA
transfer portal, according to an
announcement on his Twitter
on Thursday, Dec. 23.
The former La Grande
standout split reps with junior
quarterback Logan Bonner
throughout the season. Peasley
is coming off his junior year,
but will have three years of eli-
gibility remaining with his new
school.
“Thank you Utah State Uni-
versity. Four years of meeting
amazing people and creating
relationships that will last a
lifetime. I have entered the
transfer portal with 3 years of
eligibility. Thank you Aggie
Nation,” Peasley wrote on
Twitter.
Logan Bonner ended up as
Utah State’s full-time starter
at quarterback, throwing for
3,628 yards and 36 touch-
downs. Bonner has another
year of eligibility. In addition,
after Bonner was injured in
the second quarter, with Pea-
sley already out with an injury,
third-string Cooper Legas was
a star in Utah State’s 24-13 win
over Oregon State in the Jimmy
Kimmel LA Bowl. Legas threw
for 171 yards and two touch-
downs in his fi rst collegiate
action.
During the 2021 season,
Peasley threw for 415 yards and
three touchdowns, while accu-
mulating 212 rushing yards and
one touchdown in 25 attempts.
His biggest game of the season
came in a 49-45 comeback win
over Air Force, in which he
threw for three touchdowns.
Utah State went overall 11-3
in 2021, including a 46-13 win
over a top-25 San Diego State
team in the Mountain West
Championship game.
During his time at La
Grande, Peasley recorded over
100 total touchdowns and threw
for over 4,000 yards between
his sophomore and junior sea-
sons. He was also a key part
of the basketball and baseball
teams at La Grande.
Utah State University Athletics/Contributed Photo
Utah State quarterback Andrew Peasley takes the fi eld before a game. Peasley entered the NCAA transfer portal following
the 2021 season, according to a Thursday, Dec. 23, 2021, announcement on his Twitter.