South Eugene forfeits Week 7 game against Thurston: ‘It’s the right thing to do’

“When you have a few too many injuries, it’s reached that saturation point where it becomes a safety issue.”

By René Ferrán | Photo by Ken Waz 

South Eugene has forfeited its Midwestern League football game Friday night with Thurston because of attrition in the program, which returned to the field this season after a two-year hiatus. 

South Eugene coach Chad Kessler called it the hardest decision he's had to make all season. He looked at the future health of the program when making the decision.

“When you’re building a program, you don’t want to turn kids away from the sport,” Kessler said. “When you have a few too many injuries, it’s reached that saturation point where it becomes a safety issue. It’s an anguishing moment, but it’s the right thing to do.” 

Kessler said the injuries had left him fielding what would have been the equivalent of a freshman team against a Colts team ranked No. 4 in the SBLive Oregon 5A media poll.

He added that he hopes to get some players back from injuries next week in time for the Axe’s game against Eagle Point. 

Six years ago, the Axe faced a comparable situation when they qualified for the 6A playoffs, resulting in a forfeit to No. 1 seed Jesuit. The program canceled its COVID spring 2021 and fall 2021 seasons because of low turnout before Kessler endeavored to resurrect it this fall.