Wilsonville in 6A? It’s a conversation that gets brought up from time to time. Whether or not Wilsonville High School athletics will have success in 6A like they do in 5A is debatable, but there is no doubt they are interested in the challenge.
The talk of Wilsonville High School moving up to 6A has been considered but hasn’t been implemented. With the rise of students being admitted to the school and athletics being at the top of their game, some people feel it is only right for Wilsonville High School to get moved up.
However, Wilsonville High School is good right where they are at. Athletic director Josh Davis says, “I don’t know what OSAA is going to do, but I am pretty content staying right where we are at.”
The idea of Wilsonville High School moving up to 6A is hard to picture. Right now, numbers here at Wilsonville are good and our athletics, especially in football and soccer most recently, are doing very well.
But is 6A really all that different? Is it better? It’s something a lot of people, parents, coaches, and athletes think about. With the football team facing opponents in 6A and having some success, it comes down to whether 6A is all that different from what Wilsonville’s teams are already used to in 5A.
Head football coach Adam Guenther mentions, “People always think that 6A is just better, and it’s not. If you put out a good product and put out a good program, people will want to play.”
Most people assume that if you aren’t playing 6A sports, you may not get good looks from future college coaches. Most of the time that is untrue as the evolution of club sports outside of high school sports has evolved, and if your team makes a name for themselves, they will get noticed.
Often, you might see transfers to 6A schools because athletes want more looks, but with Wilsonville’s athletics making a name for themselves, most athletes feel content at where they are at, and what their future might hold.
Although WVHS may feel comfortable where they are at, if a 6A jump were to occur, a mindest change might be needed.
Davis comments on this, saying, “We don’t get real excited for league titles when we win league; we are supposed to. We would have to flip that mindset in 6A and say a league title was a successful year.”
Wilsonville High School athletics tend to get more excited for state championships than for league championships in 5A. With the switch to 6A, that might have to change where we get more excited for league titles first before we go after the state title.
With the consideration of moving up to 6A, it comes with understanding what the best option is for our athletics, the ways it might be different and similar, and how we may have to change our mindset on the things we don’t focus on as much in 5A.
Right now, Wilsonville High School’s athletics are content with being in 5A and all athletic teams look forward to continuing their success. Moving to 6A is still a large topic communicated and considered, but sticking with 5A is most likely in the best interest of Wilsonville High School.