Stayton football forfeits game with rival Cascade

Another Oregon high school football team has forfeited a varsity game.

On Oct. 15, just a day before kickoff against rival Cascade in Turner, Stayton has forfeited the Week 7 conference game.

"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," reads a message on the Oregon School Activities Association scoreboard.

The Statesman Journal reached out to Stayton High School but was unable to reach the principal, athletic director or football coach for comment.

Cascade, the reigning 4A state champion, loses a matchup with one of its biggest rivals in the heart of the season.

"We got word yesterday that they were concerned about their roster and the health of their roster, so there was communication between superintendents about that," Cascade athletic director and football coach Shane Hedrick said Oct. 15. "Today they called and said due to those concerns, they'd be withdrawing their teams for both varsity and JV."

The varsity game between the two schools was scheduled for Oct. 16 and the junior varsity game for Oct. 19.

"We totally understand the safety of the game and respect that," Hedrick added. "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."

According to the OSAA website, the Eagles have 35 players on the varsity roster. Prior to this week, the Eagles were on a two-game losing streak but hold a 3-3 overall record and Class 4A's No. 21 overall ranking.

Stayton is not the first Willamette Valley football team to have cancelled a game, or season, this fall. Back in early September, 3A's Blanchet Catholic cancelled its varsity season due to low numbers after two games.

Down Interstate 5, 5A school South Eugene cancelled its varsity season nearly a week before opening kickoff.

In the same conference as Stayton and Cascade this week, a game between Central/Kings Valley Charter and Gladstone/Riverdale was forfeited due to "not enough participants in order to play," according to the OSAA.

Gladstone/Riverdale has also already forfeited its Week 9 game against Cascade, Hedrick said.

Cascade's next scheduled varsity game is Oct. 23 at home against McKay. Stayton's varsity team is scheduled to host Philomath on Oct. 23.

There have been several more one-game forfeits and season cancellations across Oregon this fall. It's a growing trend that's now reached into Class 4A's Special District 2.

Landon Bartlett covers high school sports and Oregon State for the Statesman Journal. He can be reached at LBartlett@statesmanjournal.com or on X, TikTok or Instagram @bartlelo.