After years of struggling in the 6A Mt Hood Conference, the Scots football team will be moving down to the 5A Special District 1. 

For the past three years the team has been in the bottom two of the MHC. The last time the Scots were contenders was the 21-22 season, when they finished 4th place in MHC and 15th in state in 6A.

“The decision to move down to 5A was a collaboration with the OSAA, our Head Football Coach and the Administration team at David Douglas,” said athletic director Brad Joy. “With the lack of success the past two years, the OSAA gave us the option to move down to 5A next season and we agreed. The decision will be 100% for our program. What we needed was a chance to restart our football program with energy and optimism. The football program has grown tremendously under new coach Jay Williams and this restart will be just what we need to keep the momentum moving forward.”

Sophomore safety and wide receiver Matthias Hilton could see the reasoning behind the decision. “Moving down to 5A is a good thing for most of the players because they’re not ready for 6A,” Hilton said. 

Hilton doesn’t take the change lightly, though, because he sees football as an investment in his future. “It’s definitely more than a game,” Hilton said. “If you can get into college for free, that’s actual money.”

This decision may be the first step in reviving Scots football. “The impact should be positive,” said Joy. “What we want is competitive balance and that is exactly what we will get with this move.  Also, we keep many long standing rivalries with opponents from our past, like Gresham, Centennial, and Hood River.”