The 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A-8 and 1A-6 semifinals games were Saturday.

Before 2023, Henley football hadn’t been to the state football final since a 1982 championship in AA.

Now, in 2025, the Hornets are heading to a third consecutive 4A state title game after taking out league foe Marshfield 26-14 on Saturday at Grants Pass High School.

For the senior class, making that third title game is a testament to what they’ve done for the program, and of course means a chance to play more games together than most classes get.

“It’s been crazy, those senior leaders,” Henley head coach Matt Green said. “We were just talking about it, some of these guys have played 39 games in three years. That’s unheard of.”

Henley forced a punt from Marshfield on the game’s opening possession and was able to drive the ball down to the Pirates 12-yard line. However, an incomplete pass, a rush for no gain and two-yard gain resulted in a turnover on downs.

Marshfield moved it across midfield on its next drive, but was stopped on 4th-and-2 at the Henley 42-yard line to turn it over on downs.

On the next Hornets drive, QB Joe Janney took over like he has all season with a 34-yard rush down to the Pirates 1-yard line. After a couple carries were stuffed, Janney snuck through for the 1-yard TD run and the PAT made it 7-0 with 1:16 left in the first.

“He’s playing well, just a team leader,” Green said. “He’s our general out there and it’s nice to have him back (on defense).”

Marshfield thought it scored on its next drive on a fourth-down play from the Henley 30, but a holding penalty wiped off the score and forced the Pirates to punt.

The ball was downed at the Henley 1-yard line, but that didn’t matter as the Hornets marched the 99 yards in 11 plays, ending with a 37-yard pass from Janney to Jullien Rayas. The made PAT turned it into a 14-0 Henley lead halfway through the second quarter.

“Physical and I feel like it took the air out of them,” Green said. “But they battled back in the second half, scared me to death.”

Janney’s influence didn’t end there as the Pirates moved the ball across midfield quickly on the next drive. But the Hornets star forced and recovered a fumble on Pirates QB Enoch Niblett, giving Henley the ball back.

The Hornets drove it down to the Marshfield 10, but had its drive stall out and saw the 26-yard field goal attempt blocked by the Pirates. However, off-setting penalties on the play left Henley the ball still.

Instead of trying the field goal again, the Hornets went to the end zone and scored right before halftime with a 10-yard pass from Janney to Rayas. The PAT was blocked to make it 20-0 Hornets at the break.

“Just felt like they were going to get penetration, we couldn’t really fix that right then and there,” Green said of switching the play call. “Let’s just go for it and we can talk about (the field goal blocking) at half.”

Henley got the ball to start the second half, but couldn’t move it and had to punt. Marshfield held on to the kick after initially fumbling it, and then saw its drive end a few plays later when the Pirates were stopped inches short of a first down on their own 42-yard line.

A couple plays later, Janney threw his third TD of the game when he connected with Kai Montag from 18 yards out. The two-point conversion was no good, making it 26-0 Henley with 5:07 left in the third.

Things didn’t get better for the Pirates as Rayas came up with an interception for Henley on the first play of the ensuing Marshfield drive. The Pirates were able to force a turnover on downs though to keep it from costing them points on the board.

The offense picked up a first down and finally found a hole in the Henley defense when Niblett found Lane Olsen in the middle of the field. Olsen ran it the rest of the way to score the 56-yard TD. Niblett ran in the two-pointer to cut the Hornets lead to 26-8.

Henley started to bleed the clock from there, taking 6:20 off the scoreboard after chipping away on the ground. The Hornets got down to the Marshfield 11, but turned it over on downs to keep hope alive for the Pirates.

Four plays later, Niblett bombed it deep and found Hadyn Widdicombe down the seam for the 59-yard TD. The two-point try was stopped though, keeping it as a 12-point game at 26-14 Henley with 6:18 to go in the game.

But it was too little, too late for the Pirates as the Henley run game was proving to be unstoppable. The Hornets kept chipping away and wasting time, running the ball down inside the Marshfield 5-yard line as the clock expired.

“To finish out the game with a seven-minute drive is huge,” Green said. “Just to be able to lean on them big boys and get first downs.”

Janney finished 15-for-23 passing for 212 yards with three TDs and also ran for 95 yards and one more score. Jeremiah Brunick was the leading rusher with 160 yards, most of that coming in the second half as the Hornets bled the clock. Rayas had five catches for 84 yards and two TDs along with a pick on defense, and Montag was the leading receiver 103 yards on four catches with one TD.

Henley also held the ball for nearly 32 minutes, limiting any chances for Marshfield to keep scoring in the second half.

The Hornets now head to the 4A state title game for the third consecutive year. They won the title in 2023 but fell to Marist Catholic last year. 

Henley is one of three Klamath Basin area teams heading to championship Saturday after Lost River advanced in 2A and Crosspoint Christian made the 1A 8-man final.

“That’s really cool and I think it just goes to show how good that Pop Warner program we have down there is doing for us,” Green said. “They do a good job of getting kids out and it’s showing. Basin teams are showing out.”

The opponent this year for Henley in the 4A title game will be No. 1 Cascade, who blew out No. 4 Scappoose 55-19 and is unbeaten on the year. The Hornets will be going for their fourth title in program history and the first since 2023.

“I’m happy we had Estacada the week before, Estacada is a really, really physical team,” Green said. “I think Cascade is probably more physical than them, but to show that we have that physicality to our guys is really going to be helpful.”

4A

No. 1 Cascade 55, No. 4 Scappoose 19: Bryce Kuenzi ran wild for No. 1 Cascade who took out No. 4 Scappoose 55-19 in the 4A state semifinals at McMinnville High School on Saturday.

Kuenzi finished the afternoon with 259 rushing yards and six touchdowns, helping the Cougars take an early lead that they never relinquished to upset-minded Scappoose.

Cascade will compete in the 4A state title next week for the first time since winning it in 2015. 

You can read more from the game by following the link here.

4A state final: No. 3 Henley vs. No. 1 Cascade, 3 p.m. Nov. 29 at Cottage Grove High School

3A

No. 1 Cascade Christian 36, No. 12 Gervais 0: No. 1 Cascade Christian threw the first few punches and coasted from there in the 36-0 win over No. 12 Gervais in the 3A state semifinals at Cottage Grove High School.

Cascade Christian got the party started early with a 44-yard rushing TD from Bryson Walker on the game’s opening possession. A two-pointer from Caleb Scaglione to Caleb Parker made it 8-0 Challengers only 1:30 into the game.

The Cougars went three-and-out, and Walker returned the punt 23 yards to the Gervais 33. Four plays later, it was a Mikey Covey 10-yard rushing TD to make it 15-0 after the PAT not even halfway through the first.

Another Gervais punt gave Cascade Christian the ball on the Cougars 36-yard line. QB Deryk Farmer had a 25-yard rush to help set up a 3-yard scoring run from Walker to pump the lead to 22-0.

Gervais was able to find its footing a bit on offense, holding onto the ball for the next 10 minutes behind a ground attack of Johnny Mariano and Nikita Burkoff. But an interception at the Challengers 10 ended the threat. 

The Cougars got a stop, but only picked up one first down on its next drive, giving it right back to Cascade Christian on the Gervais 47.

Four plays later, Farmer connected with Scaglione for a 33-yard TD and the PAT made it 29-0 Challengers at the break.

Gervais got the ball to start the second half and drove into Challengers territory once again, but turned it over on downs at the Cascade Christian 33. The Challengers flipped the field, but returned the favor with a turnover on downs at the Cougars 31.

Gervais was forced to punt, Farmer took the first play for an 8-yard rush and then hit Scaglione for a 47-yard strike to paydirt, turning on the running clock up 36-0 after the made PAT.

Mariano finished the game with 117 rushing yards for Gervais.

Farmer finished the night with 165 passing yards and two TDs and was also the leading rushing with 93 yards on the ground. Walker carried the ball 10 times for 83 yards and two TDs and Scaglione made two grabs for 80 yards and two TDs.

The win sends the Challengers back to the 3A title game after missing out last year. They’ll go for their third title in the past four years after claiming the 2022 and 2023 state crowns.

No. 3 Burns 36, No. 2 Banks 31: For the second consecutive year, No. 3 Burns took out No. 2 Banks on the turf of Summit High School in the 3A state semifinals, downing the Braves 36-31 after taking control following a slow start.

Banks got the afternoon rolling when Lane Gilbert finished off the Braves’ opening possession with a 33-yard TD run down the sideline, making it 7-0 Banks less than three minutes into the game.

Each side traded a couple empty possessions to keep the Braves 7-0 lead rolling into the second frame. 

On the third play of the second, Burns QB Jack Wright lost a fumble to start the Hilanders drive, and four plays later it was another Banks touchdown when Nate Lyda passed to Wyatt Jackson from 12 yards out. The PAT made it 14-0 Banks early in the second.

The Burns offense woke up after that with its trusted connection all season. Wright threw it deep to Coltin Miller who raced the rest of the way for an 83-yard score. Wright hit Tommy Winn for the two-point conversion to make it a 14-8 Banks lead still early in the second.

Burns forced a three-and-out from Banks and Wright continued to pick up chunk plays on the ensuing drive. Five plays into the drive, it ended with an 11-yard score from Wright to Miller, followed by Wright rushing in the two-pointer to put the Hilanders ahead 16-14 with 6:30 left in the second.

Banks responded by driving down to the Burns 2-yard line, but the drive ended there. Chase Mead chipped in the 19-yard field goal to put the Braves ahead 17-16 with 2:42 left in the half.

That was plenty of time for Burns to work another scoring drive, marching down the field and scoring on an 8-yard TD run from Wright. The QB hit Miller on the two-pointer to take a 24-17 lead at halftime.

Jarrett Martin got the Braves going to start the second half with a big punt return to the Burns 25-yard line. Two plays later, Lyda hit Martin from six yards out and the PAT tied the game up at 24 quickly into the third.

The Hilanders responded with their own drive though, going for it on 4th-and-10 from the Banks 38. Wright hooked up with Miller once again for the 38-yard TD, but the two-point try was stopped.

Banks punted and Wright threw an interception on the next two drives, but the Hilanders forced another punt. 

Wright wouldn’t make that mistake again as he led another Burns scoring drive, this one ending with Wright’s second rushing TD of the game from three yards out. The failed two-pointer left it at 36-24 Burns with 10:03 left in the game.

Preston Hill came up with an interception to end the ensuing Banks drive and allowed the Hilanders offense to burn more time off the clock.

Banks got the ball back and scored quickly after a 41-yard pass and catch from Lyda to Martin put the Braves down at the Hilanders 5. Two plays later, Lyda hit Jackson for the score and the PAT made it 36-31 Burns with 5:29 left in the game.

Banks came up with another stop and got the ball back on its own 32-yard line with 3:32 to go. However, on third down, a bad snap resulted in a 15-yard loss and the Braves were forced to punt looking at 4th-and-30 from their own 12 after a delay of game pushed them back further.

On 3rd-and-8, Wright did it with his legs one last time, rushing for nine yards and forcing the Braves to call their final timeout with only 1:56 left in the game.

The Hilanders ran one more play and then kneeled the ball a couple times to pick up the 36-31 win and get back to the state title game and defend their title.

Lyda did all he could for the Braves with 270 passing yards and three TDs. Most of that went to Martin who had 11 catches for 197 receiving yards with a score. Jackson finished with four catches for 31 yards and two TDs.

Wright finished with 197 passing yards with three TDs as well as 50 rushing yards and two more scores. Miller was the main target with seven catches for 165 yards and three TDs, and Winn had 138 rushing yards. 

3A state final: No. 3 Burns vs. No. 1 Cascade Christian, 4:30 p.m. Nov. 29 at Summit High School

2A

No. 1 Heppner 56, No. 4 St. Paul 16: There was no slowing down No. 1 Heppner in the 2A state semifinals Saturday at Summit High School as the Mustangs ran away from No. 4 St. Paul 56-16.

St. Paul got the ball first and it wanted to score, finishing off the opening drive with a 9-yard TD pass from Noah Hockett to Frank Pohlschneider. Branson Cook ran in the two-pointer to make it 8-0 Buckaroos.

Heppner wasn’t shaken though, coming right back with a six-play drive that found paydirt on a 30-yard rushing TD from Caleb George. The two-pointer was no good, leaving the Buckaroos in front 8-6.

The Mustangs got the ball right back though after Joseph Albitre stepped in front of a Hockett pass on the first play of St. Paul’s second drive. And on the next play, Alakae Rodriguez found the end zone for Heppner on a 31-yard rush, followed by him running in the two-pointer to put his team up 14-8.

St. Paul had a nice responding drive, but another turnover ended its threat when Pohlschneider coughed up the rock and Rodriguez fell on it for Heppner.

The Mustangs took the rest of the first quarter and scored two plays into the second frame on a 1-yard Rodriguez run. The two-pointer was stopped to leave it at 20-8 Heppner.

The Buckaroos only managed one first down on their next drive, giving the ball back quickly to the Mustangs who marched their way to a 71-yard scoring drive. Rodriguez found the end zone again on a six-yard run to close the drive, falling short on the two-pointer to make it 26-8 Heppner.

The route was on from there as St. Paul went three-and-out and Heppner got down to the Buckaroos 2-yard line a play later on a Rodriguez run. Keaton Coiner ran in the 2-yard score to help make it 34-8.

St. Paul got one back before halftime when Pohlschneider scored from 19 yards out on a run, and a two-pointer made it 34-16 at the break.

Rodriguez scored on the Mustangs’ second possession of the second half from 38 yards out, pumping the lead back up to 42-16. 

Heppner got another stop and the next possession ended with a 5-yard George run to paydirt, turning the game into a 50-16 blowout.

St. Paul was turned back one last time before Heppner took over with 5:46 left in the game and ran out the clock. The Mustangs added one more score on the final play of the game when Jayden Rowletter rushed for a 13-yard TD.

Hockett finished the night 16-for-32 passing for 199 yards with one TD and two INTs. Britten was the leading rusher with 48 yards on 11 carries.

For Heppner, Rodriguez was an animal on the ground with 187 rushing yards and four scores. Albitre was the leading receiver with two catches for 61 yards and also had two interceptions on defense. 

The Mustangs head to the 2A title game now, their first since winning it all in 2019. 

No. 2 Lost River 33, No. 3 Bandon 13: No. 2 Lost River recovered from a bad start to stuff No. 3 Bandon’s run game and take home the 33-13 victory in the 2A state semifinals at Grants Pass High School.

Reggie Turner got things going for the Tigers when he took a 74-yard rush to the house, putting Bandon ahead 7-0 after the first quarter.

However, the Raiders offense started to get into its flow early in the second, scoring on a 34-yard pass from Kyle Diaz to Drew McDonald. The two-point try after failed though, keeping Bandon ahead 7-6.

Bandon went three-and-out before each side traded lost fumbles. Lost River made its recovered fumble pay though by scoring on the ensuing drive with a 34-yard TD run from Kellen Dunlea.

Another quick Tigers three-and-out gave the Raiders 2.5 minutes to try and score again, and they did with some short passes that got them close and finished with a 9-yard strike from Diaz to Parker Staunton. A third failed two-pointer made it 18-7 Raiders at halftime.

Bandon got the ball to start the second half, but Lost River forced another quick punt and needed only five plays to be back in the end zone. Diaz hit Charles Overcash for a 14-yard TD after big runs from Dunlea and Connor Guthrie got the Raiders close, making it 26-7 after Dunlea ran in the two-point try.

Bandon then put together a long drive that ate up nearly eight minutes of game time and went into the fourth quarter, but it ended with a turnover on downs.

However, the Tigers got the ball back one play later when they recovered a Guthrie fumble, and this time they made it pay when Turner passed to Hayden Thompson for an 11-yard TD. That cut the Lost River lead down to 26-13 and sprung some life back into Bandon.

The Tigers got the ball back when Turner came up with an interception at the Bandon 20-yard line. However, a sack of Turner on offense followed by a loss of nine yards into the end zone resulted in a safety for the Raiders, pushing the lead to 28-13 4:35 left in the game and Lost River getting the ball back.

Lost River tacked on a 28-yard field goal from Julian Perez and snagged another safety on a bad Bandon snap to provide the 33-13 final score.

The Raiders head back to the 2A title game after winning the crown in 2022 and 2023 at the 1A 8-man level. It’s their first 2A final appearance since winning the title in 2004.

2A state final: No. 2 Lost River vs. No. 1 Heppner, TBD

1A 8-man

No. 2 Adrian 56, No. 3 Union 14: No. 2 Adrian left no doubt in a 56-14 win over No. 3 Union in the 1A 8-man semifinals at Baker High School on Saturday.

The Bobcats were hanging close for a quarter and a half, down only 28-14, but the Antelopes turned on the jets to close the first half up 44-14. 

Adrian QB Trey Bayes threw a touchdown on the second quarter offensive explosion, and followed it up with a pick-six on the ensuing Union drive that made it 28-6 Adrian.

Union scored to cut to 28-14, but the Antelopes found paydirt two more times in the final six minutes to take the commanding lead.

Adrian added two more scores in the second half to induce the running clock and close out the 56-14 victory to stay unbeaten.

Kash Morford and the offensive line dominated all night with the RB going for 133 rushing yards and four TDs. Mannie Mulrony added 77 rushing yards and a score. Bayes finished 4-for-9 passing for 92 yards and two TDs, both scores going to Chase Franklin who also had an interception on defense.

The defending champions will be back to defend their 2024 state title and go for their third state crown in the last five years, and fifth overall. The Lopes are 4-0 all-time in title games.

No. 4 Crosspoint Christian 44, No. 1 Dufur 8: No. 4 Crosspoint Christian was ready to avenge a 20-12 regular season loss to No. 1 Dufur, and did it almost immediately at the same site in Summit High School as that Sept. 12 matchup.

The Warriors raced out to a 30-0 halftime lead as they ran for 252 yards in the first half alone. Nate Gibson was doing most of the damage with rushing touchdowns of 43, two and 14 yards. The fourth score was a Trey Johnston four-yard TD run to put Crosspoint up 30-0.

Defensively, the Warriors gave up only 52 total yards in the first half and just two first downs.

The Rangers showed some life to start the third quarter, taking their opening drive down to the goal line and eventually scoring on a 1-yard TD run from Choice Richards, cutting the deficit to 30-8 after the successful two-point try.

However, the Warriors came right back, picking up a big 4th-and-6 on the ensuing drive and eventually getting a 35-yard TD run from Gibson.

Dufur was forced to punt and Gibson found paydirt again on the first play of the new Crosspoint Christian drive, this one from 62 yards out. Johnston ran in the two-pointer to make it 44-8 and induced a running clock.

Gibson finished with 214 rushing yards on 16 carries with five TDs to power the offense. Isaac Root made 12 solo tackles, three for loss, on defense Johnston also had an interception.

The Warriors now advance to the 1A 8-man state championship game for the first time in program history. Dufur’s season ends at 10-1 in the semifinals.

1A 8-man state final: No. 4 Crosspoint Christian vs. No. 2 Adrian, TBD

1A 6-man

No. 2 Harper Charter 27, No. 6 Sherman 6: A big second half gave No. 2 Harper Charter the separation it needed to down No. 6 Sherman and secure a return trip to the 1A 6-man state title game with a 27-6 victory at Baker High School.

Harper Charter only led 7-0 at halftime when Madoxx Martinez threw a TD pass to Cope Christensen on the second play of the second quarter after a scoreless first frame.

In the second half, Martinez took the opening kickoff for the Hornets back to the house, putting Harper up 13-0 early in the third.

The special teams miscues for the Huskies continued from there with an aborted punt, a blocked punt and a lost fumble on a kickoff.

Harper scored following the blocked punt that occurred inside the Sherman 20-yard line. A holding penalty pushed the Hornets back, but Martinez hit Colt Benz for about a 15-yard TD pass and catch, followed by the one-point run to put Harper up 20-0 quickly in the third.

The Huskies lost the fumble on the ensuing kickoff, but stood tall to force a turnover on downs right before the end of the third. They were able to put together a strong drive that ended with a deflected pass from Robert Williams that went right into the hands of Rhyder Smith for a 15-yard TD, cutting the Harper lead to 20-6.

It was too little, too late for Sherman though as the Hornets responded with a big run from Christensen down to the Sherman 12-yard line. Martinez then connected with Richard Joyce up the middle on a 12-yard pass for the score, then hit the one-pointer to put the game to bed up 27-6 with 4:04 to go.

Joyce then had an interception on the ensuing Sherman drive, sealing the victory for the still unbeaten Hornets. 

Harper Charter heads back to the 1A 6-man title game after making it for the first time in program history last year. The Hornets fell to Powers 32-13 to be denied their first title, which they’ll try to get now in 2025.

No. 9 Crow 45, No. 4 Elkton 39: On the final play of the game, No. 9 Crow scored from 47 yards out to break up a tie and eliminate No. 4 Elkton with the 45-39 win.

Crow got on the board first after forcing a three-and-out on Elkton’s opening possession. Aiden DeLeon picked up a first down for the Cougars, then Cayden Hernandez broke free for a 45-yard TD to make it 6-0 Crow.

That was the only offensive firework of the first half though as the defenses took over there, keeping both teams under 100 total yards at the break. Crow led 98-66 in total yards but did have two turnovers with a lost fumble and a muffed punt recovered by the Elks.

Crow got the ball to start the second half, and like the first 12 minutes, the Cougars got a couple positive runs from DeLeon, only to see Hernandez break free again for a 47-yard TD to put his team ahead 12-0.

The Elks finally got off the mat thanks to back-to-back pass plays from QB Darwin Hudson of 29 and 27 yards. Finishing the quick drive was Andrew Houx on a 1-yard rush, followed by the one-pointer to cut the Crow lead down to 12-7 a little more than halfway through the third.

But Hernandez didn’t waste any time to get the score back, taking the ensuing kickoff back 80 yards for a TD. Foster Otley ran in the point-after try to make it 19-7 Cougars.

The fireworks continued from there as Hudson completed two more big passes, and then Talon Harvey broke free for a 34-yard TD run for the Elks, followed by a pass from Hudson to Harvey for the one-pointer to make it a 19-14 Crow lead.

Crow worked quickly with Hernandez completing a pass to DeLeon for 19 yards, followed by a 17-yard Hernandez run and then the pay off play with a 9-yard TD run from Hernandez, pushing the lead back to eight with the Cougars up 27-14 following a two-point made kick from Hernandez.

Elkton got a 24-yard gain from Hudson to Carson Peters, then it was a 65-yard TD from Hudson to Harvey to keep the barrage rolling in the third quarter. A failed kick made it 27-20 Crow with still a minute left in the third.

The Cougars took their time on the next drive, not scoring until 9:52 was left in the game in the fourth. This time it was a 24-yard Hernandez rush, which was followed by a blocked kick attempt to make it 33-20 Crow.

The quarter change didn’t mess up the back-and-forth as the Elks scored on their next possession, a 60-yard Hudson to Houx pass for six more, making it 33-26 Crow with 9:34 to go.

Elkton finally broke the pattern in a big way when Landon Saddler came up with an interception deep in the Elks own territory. He ran it back all the way to the Cougars 8-yard line, setting up an 8-yard TD pass from Harvey to Houx that started as a run to the outside for Harvey, but he was denied and rolled back and threw up a prayer to Houx. Elkton tied the game at 33 on the successful point-after play from Hudson to Saddler.

Crow went three-and-out on the next possession, punting it back to Elkton. However, an Elks defender tried to grab the ball while it was rolling and the Cougars jumped on it when he couldn’t control it. 

Crow made the mistake hurt when Hernandez ran in from seven yards out for his fifth rushing TD of the afternoon. The point-after failed on a Hernandez pass to make it 39-33 Cougars with 3:22 to go.

A personal foul pushed the Elks back early, but they recovered to eventually pick up a big first down and later scored on a 30-yard TD from Hudson to Peters. The point-after attempt was stopped short of the line though, keeping the game tied at 39 with 41 seconds left.

On the final play of the game, Hernandez threw the ball deep and found Levi Betts behind the defense for the walk-off, 47-yard TD pass to win 45-39.

Hernandez finished with an unreal 270 rushing yards and five TDs, along with 66 passing yards and one more score plus the 80-yard kickoff return.

On the Elkton side, Hudson finished with 319 passing yards and three TDs, most of that going to Houx with 125 receiving yards and two TDs. 

Crow will head to the 6-man state title game and play for its first state crown since falling in the 1993 2A title game. That’s the Cougars only previous appearance in the final.

1A 6-man state final: No. 9 Crow vs. No. 2 Harper Charter, TBD