When Henley (2-0-1) scored the opening goal in the first 10 minutes of its game at 3A St. Mary’s Medford Sept. 3, head coach Lupe Gonzales said the team began “going through the motions” and “didn’t attack with a purpose.”
“We let ourselves get into that ‘oh, this is going to be an easy game’ mentality,” Gonzales said. “The longer the game went, the more frustrated we got, [and] the more confident they got.”
The Crusaders eventually found the equalizer, and the game ended in a 1-1 draw. With an eight-day gap between the Hornets’ trip to Medford and their game against Madras (2-1-0) Thursday, Gonzales had plenty of time to work with his players on maintaining their intensity for a full 80 minutes.
The work paid off; Henley dominated possession and created the vast majority of scoring chances in a 3-1 win over the White Buffaloes. Junior Layne Worrell, the reigning Skyline Conference Player of the Year, scored all three goals for his first hat trick of the season.
Worrell put the Hornets up 1-0 just 37 seconds into the game after Madras attempted to pass the ball out of its penalty area but instead sent it straight to him. The White Buffaloes answered 38 seconds later when Henley failed to stop a cross into the box and gave too much space to senior Steve Gonzalez (a second team all-state selection last season), who fired home his eighth goal of the season.
Henley regrouped and started to dictate the game, retaking the lead on a Worrell penalty kick with 13:46 left in the first half. Madras threatened in the first minute of the second half, but the Hornets snuffed out the attack and doubled their lead soon after when junior Michael Ruelas teed up Worrell with a cross from the right side. It was Worrell’s fifth goal of the season.
“When we play our game, we can create problems for anybody, and I think today showed it,” Gonzales said.
Henley also benefited from what Gonzales called “some very amazing, timely saves” by sophomore goalkeeper Ivan Garcia, including one on a curling free kick from the edge of the penalty area that kept it a 3-1 game.
The Hornets had nine corner kicks to the White Buffaloes’ two.
Henley hosts 5A Caldera (1-2-1) at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Madras hosts North Marion (2-0-0) in a rematch of the teams’ first-round playoff game at 6 p.m. Sept. 19.
Other games
Mount Shasta 3, Tulelake 2 (Boys)
Tulelake (8-3-0, 4-1-0 Shasta Cascade League) lost its first SCL matchup since 2022 and had a six-game winning streak snapped.
Mount Shasta (3-0-0, 3-0-0) led 1-0 at halftime.
Both teams play at 5 p.m. Tuesday; the Honkers travel to Butte Valley (0-4-0, 0-4-0), while the Bears host Trinity (3-5-0, 0-1-0).
Henley 6, Madras 1 (Girls)
Coming off a 1-0 loss to The Dalles Sept. 7, Henley (2-1-0) dominated Madras (0-3-0) in its first true road game of the season; the Hornets took a 2-0 lead in the first 14 minutes and outshot the White Buffaloes 35-2.
Junior Lilly Poore led Henley with a hat trick, while senior Berniece Clifford and sophomores Sarah Edwards and Prestyn Schade rounded out the rest of the scoring. It was the fourth goal of the season for Schade, maintaining her team lead.
“We rebounded well after our last game,” Henley head coach Mike Hedlund said. “[We] created lots of opportunities and were able to get everyone lots of playing time.”
Henley travels to 5A Caldera (3-1-0) at 5 p.m. Tuesday. Madras hosts Gladstone (0-0-1) at 6 p.m. Sept. 24.
Lost River/Bonanza 2, North Valley 2 (Girls)
Despite finishing level on the scoreboard, Lost River/Bonanza (1-0-1, 1-0-1 Special District 4) head coach Richard DeJong felt his team “dominated most of the game” in the Raiders’ first road contest at North Valley (1-1-1, 0-0-1).
“[The] whole team played great,” DeJong said. “We passed well, communicated well and fought hard.”
Senior Zuli Cobian scored both of Lost River/Bonanza’s goals with junior Briza Garcia assisting each time. Junior Karla Navarro made five saves in goal.
The Raiders host Rogue River (1-2-0, 1-1-0) at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. The Knights travel to Lakeview (1-2-0, 1-1-0) at 1 p.m. Saturday.
