At the sound of the final horn, the first thing Lupe Gonzales felt was relief.
The Henley (12-2-2) head coach faced one of his toughest jobs of the season when the No. 4 seed Hornets hosted No. 5 seed The Dalles (12-4-0) Saturday. In addition to finding a way to limit an opportunistic Riverhawks attack–powered by senior midfielder Hulises Najera, a second team all-state selection in 2023–Gonzales became tasked with maintaining his team’s composure in what turned out to be a chippy, tension-filled game.
He succeeded on both fronts, and Henley weathered a late push from The Dalles to book its second 4A semifinal appearance in three years with a 2-1 win.
“[Najera]…is just phenomenal,” Gonzales said. “We had to adjust the lineup quite a bit throughout the game just to make sure that we contained [him and the Riverhawks’ forwards].”
The Hornets took a 1-0 lead 39 seconds into the game after sophomore Luke Balzotti launched a throw-in from the right touchline into the six-yard box, where junior Layne Worrell directed a header to the feet of senior Brian Leon for a point-blank goal (his fifth of the season).
Things became heated shortly after that. A non-call on a Henley slide tackle drew the ire of The Dalles’ coaches, who excoriated the referees for several minutes afterward. The criticism continued in response to other decisions benefiting Henley throughout the game and eventually drew a yellow card in the 74th minute.
“I was really surprised that their coaches were involved vocally with the referee as much as they were,” Gonzales said. “It helped us because I think they were more focused on that than getting their players to play.
“For us, it was just a matter of, ‘We can’t get involved in that. We have the lead, so let’s just keep playing like we have the lead.’”
The Riverhawks’ players also did some chirping, which wasn’t a surprise to the Hornets.
“We had heard from some other guys that this team likes to talk a little bit, which is fine,” Worrell (Henley’s primary captain) said. “We do, too. We just prepared for that beforehand…[I] made sure my players were staying as a team and not going off one-v-one trying to beat a guy because he said something.”
Perhaps ironically, it was a one-v-one opportunity in the 38th minute that produced the Hornets’ second goal. After The Dalles nearly equalized in the 23rd and 31st minutes (sending a shot off the bottom of the crossbar that almost bounced over the line, then missing a wide open look), Balzotti took the ball into the left side of the penalty area and worked around one defender before firing a shot that deflected off another and in. It was his sixth goal of the season and second of the playoffs; he also scored in Henley’s first-round win over No. 13 seed Philomath.
Leading 2-0 at the start of the second half, the Hornets faced some increased pressure but were able to regain control of the midfield as Gonzales continued to move players around. Sophomore goalkeeper Ivan Garcia made a few great saves to keep the Riverhawks at bay before a header got past him in the 77th minute. Whatever boost the goal may have given The Dalles was undermined seconds after the restart when one of its players was sent off for receiving a second yellow card, allowing Henley to play up a man for the final three minutes.
The Riverhawks had six corner kicks to the Hornets’ one. Henley was the only team this season to hold The Dalles to fewer than two goals. In addition to Najera, the Riverhawks are set to lose Abel Figueroa, Marcos Quiroz, Anthony Santana and Arnulfo Flores to graduation.
The win brought a measure of redemption for the Hornets, who surrendered a 2-0 halftime lead before losing on penalties in a quarterfinal game against North Marion last season.
“Last year, we had the 2-0 lead and then we kind of just stopped playing,” Balzotti said. “I feel like this year, we knew we couldn’t do that again, so we’ve been playing the whole game.”
With the top four seeds all advancing to the semifinals, it’s also guaranteed that Henley’s three-year streak of being eliminated by a lower seed will come to an end. The Hornets lost as the No. 1 seed to No. 9 seed North Marion in 2023; as the No. 2 seed to No. 14 seed Phoenix in 2022; and as the No. 4 seed to No. 12 seed Molalla in 2021.
Henley travels to No. 1 seed Stayton (15-0-0) at 5 p.m. Tuesday. The Eagles have scored the most goals (77) and conceded the fewest (five) in 4A this season. A win would give the Hornets their first state championship game appearance since 2013.
Other games
No. 1 Stayton 2, No. 9 Klamath Union 0 (Boys)
Klamath Union (10-3-2) kept 4A’s highest-scoring team off the board in the first half, but Stayton’s (15-0-0) attack found the back of the net twice in the second to send the Eagles to the semifinals.
Seniors Fernando Joaquin and Addison Samuell scored for Stayton. Samuell’s goal was his 40th of the season, which leads all classifications. This was only the Pelicans’ second time this year conceding multiple goals; they finish the season having allowed 12, which is currently tied for the second-fewest in 4A.
Klamath Union’s seniors–Roland Vannarath, Jose Garcia, Wyatt Jensen, Bryce Petersen, Damien Hunt-Plummer, Jack Jensen and Alex Reyes–depart having led the Pelicans to their most wins and first quarterfinal appearance since 2011. Klamath Union’s 16 wins over the past two seasons are more than it had in the previous eight seasons combined.
“I’m so incredibly proud of the boys’ effort all season,” Klamath Union head coach Trevor Petersen said. “They accomplished so much and showed they can compete with the best. They are great soccer players and even greater young men.”
Stayton hosts No. 4 seed Henley (12-2-2) at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
No. 4 Scappoose 1, No. 5 Henley 0 (Girls)
Junior Anya Gula scored in the 40th minute to help Scappoose (12-2-2) win its 11th straight game and book its second straight semifinal appearance.
Henley’s (12-4-0) seniors–Berniece Clifford, Emma Poe, Kate Mathis and Bella Bruner–end their high school careers after guiding the Hornets to their most wins since at least 2005 and first playoff win since 2015. Henley also won its second consecutive Skyline Conference championship this year after capturing the title for the first time since 2014 last season.
“Of course it’s disappointing for them to lose a close game like that in the quarterfinals, but making it to the quarterfinals, winning 12 games and being back-to-back conference champs is something they should be very proud of,” Henley head coach Mike Hedlund said.
Scappoose travels to No. 1 seed Marist Catholic (15-1-1) at 5 p.m. Tuesday.
