Here’s how each Basin football team fared this weekend.
Henley 40, Mazama 8
Playing without senior running back Kris Baldwin–who amassed 1,197 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns in seven games while averaging 7.4 yards per carry–Mazama (5-4, 4-1) struggled to keep up with Henley (8-1, 5-0) as the Hornets claimed a second straight 4A Special District 4 title on senior night.
It’s the first time Henley has won back-to-back league championships since the 1994 and 1995 seasons. The Hornets hadn’t beaten Mazama in consecutive matchups since winning four games in a row from 2011 to 2013. They now hold an 18-15 all-time lead in the South Side Series.
“Great defensive battle for us,” Henley head coach Matt Green said. “I’ve told the kids all week that it starts and ends with the line, and that’s where the trenches were won, and you can tell out there on the field.”
A heavy, cold rain turned the field into a muddy mess before the game even started and continued throughout, which led to the footballs quickly becoming waterlogged. This would be a factor in some of the game’s biggest plays, starting with Mazama’s first punt after its opening drive stalled out near midfield.
The kick was a liner that came down well short of Henley senior Mark Carpenter but took a bounce and rolled past him, coming to a stop around the 9-yard line. Carpenter approached the ball slowly–as if he intended to let the Vikings down it–before picking it up and running with it. He quickly evaded the defenders he had baited into slowing up and saw two others slip on mud patches, leaving him with nothing but open field as he raced down the Hornets sideline for his second punt return touchdown of the season. With 7:59 left in the first quarter, Henley led 7-0.
On the third play of the Hornets’ first offensive possession, junior quarterback Joe Janney had a low snap bounce off his hands and nearly got tangled up with classmate Trapper Cundall as he recovered it. Working free, he found a hole in the line and took off downfield, trucking two defenders en route to a 36-yard rushing touchdown that doubled Henley’s lead with 5:22 remaining.
Janney ran for two more touchdowns in the second quarter, pushing the lead to 20-0 on a 1-yard carry with 4:22 to go (the PAT was low and blocked) and 26-0 on a 6-yard carry with 2:43 to go immediately after senior defensive lineman Nolan Sieben recovered a Mazama fumble (the 2-point conversion failed).
On the third play of the second half, Janney breezed through an open lane on a designed run for a 40-yard touchdown, making it 32-0 (the 2-point conversion failed). Five plays after junior defensive lineman Jantz Kahl recovered another Vikings fumble at the Mazama 47-yard line, Cundall scored on a 15-yard run to put the running clock on for the Hornets’ third game in a row with 6:17 left in the third quarter.
The Vikings broke the shutout against Henley’s backups with a 7-yard touchdown run by junior quarterback Brody Van Gastel as time expired in the third (the 2-point conversion was successful).
Mazama ran 52 plays to the Hornets’ 33 but was outgained 220-171. The Vikings managed just 70 yards against Henley’s starting defense and fumbled six times, with only one being forced by a Hornets player (senior defensive lineman Shivam Patel in the third quarter). Henley’s only fumble came on its last possession; it was forced by senior defensive lineman Logan Harrington and recovered by classmate Cade Owen.
Both teams attempted one pass each (not counting 2-point conversions), with the sole completion being a 5-yard throw from Janney to Carpenter. Janney finished with 116 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 11 attempts, while Cundall had 94 yards and one touchdown on nine carries.
Sieben led the Hornets defense with 11 tackles, including four for loss. Seniors Jason Kern and Bryson Montag tied for second with seven tackles each, with Kern posting two TFLs.
Henley received the No. 3 seed in the 4A playoffs and will face No. 14 seed Seaside (5-4) in the first round at 6 p.m. Nov. 8. Because of the damage to Henley’s field resulting from Friday’s game, the teams will play at Mazama.
Mazama received the No. 10 seed and will travel to No. 7 seed Pendleton/Nixyaawii (6-3) at 7 p.m. Nov. 8. This will be the teams’ second year in a row meeting in the first round; last season, the seventh-seeded Vikings beat the 10th-seeded Buckaroos to advance to the quarterfinals.
North Valley 42, Klamath Union 0
Klamath Union (2-7, 1-4 3A Special District 5) put up 38 yards of offense in its season finale at Modoc Field as North Valley (7-2, 4-1) led 8-0 after the first quarter, 22-0 at halftime and 36-0 after the third quarter.
The Knights gashed the Pelicans for 452 rushing yards, with junior Hayden Taylor amassing 140 yards and two touchdowns and senior John Erkeneff adding 122 yards and two touchdowns.
For Klamath Union, sophomore quarterback Reese Johnson completed 10-of-26 passes for 45 yards in heavy rain. Junior receiver Tildon Coffman had four receptions for 26 yards, and senior receiver Octavio Ortega had five receptions for 14 yards.
Defensively, Coffman led the Pelicans with eight tackles, while senior defensive tackle Ben Gour and sophomore linebacker Travyn Ruano had seven each. Ruano also caused a fumble that was recovered by junior linebacker Roman Case, and freshman defensive tackle Mason Caro blocked a field goal.
Friday’s game was the last for Klamath Union’s seven seniors: Ortega, Gour, Levi Hicks, Kevin Willyard (five tackles), Diego Hutchinson (one tackle), Jackson Federico (two tackles) and Payton DeLonge.
“I’m very proud of the guys that finished the season,” Klamath Union head coach Josh Overstreet said. “We set the bar high for the student-athletes in our program, and I’m excited to see where it takes us into the offseason.”
North Valley received the No. 9 seed in the 3A playoffs and will travel to No. 8 seed Sutherlin (7-2) at 7 p.m. Nov. 8.
Lost River 56, Lowell 13
Lost River (7-2, 5-1 2A Special District 5) set the tone with an explosive first quarter as it handed defending 2A champion Lowell (6-3, 4-2) its biggest loss since 2019.
Playing in the same rainstorm that drenched the Henley and Klamath Union games, the Raiders took an 8-0 lead after junior Kyle Diaz returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. Senior Noah O’Neill broke off a 97-yard touchdown run to make it 14-0 and scored again on a 37-yard run to put Lost River up 22-0 after one quarter.
The Devils cut the lead to 22-7 after junior quarterback Carter Harris threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to classmate Alex Sotomayor. The Raiders answered with a 15-yard scoring pass from Diaz to junior Kellen Dunlea to make it 28-7 before O’Neill ran for a 3-yard touchdown to push the lead to 36-7 at halftime.
Lost River put the running clock on in the third quarter with a 44-yard touchdown run by Diaz that helped make it 44-7. Later in the period, O’Neill found the end zone again on an 18-yard carry. The Raiders’ final points came on a 36-yard run by senior Kayden Hartman in the fourth quarter. Lowell wrapped up the scoring with an 18-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Wyatt McNamee to junior Wyatt Smith.
“I think a combination of them having a tough trip over and the weather combined with us playing well early [led to the win],” Lost River head coach Dennis Dunlea said. “We had a great week of practice and every kid on our roster played good, clean, hard-nosed football for four quarters.”
The Raiders outgained the Devils 347-172. Lost River held a 332-17 edge in rushing yards, while Lowell held a 155-15 edge in passing yards. The Raiders’ 56 points were their most of the season, and the Devils’ 13 points matched their season low.
Diaz completed 1-of-4 passes for 15 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 63 yards and one touchdown on six attempts. O’Neill finished with 218 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 17 carries, and Hartman ran for 50 yards and one touchdown on five carries. Senior Doug Jenkins had an interception on defense.
For Lowell, Harris completed 8-of-16 passes for 137 yards and one touchdown with one interception, while McNamee completed 2-of-5 passes for 18 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore Zak Hermansen and junior Barrett Straight both had one reception for 40 yards, and senior Harley Hardison had three receptions for 35 yards. Sotomayor and Smith’s touchdowns were their only receptions of the game. On the ground, senior JaMar Thurman ran for 16 yards on 13 carries.
Lowell received the No. 11 seed in the 2A playoffs and will travel to No. 6 seed Gervais (7-1) in the first round at 7 p.m. Nov. 8. Lost River received the No. 9 seed and will travel to No. 8 seed Gaston (7-2) at 1 p.m. Nov. 9.
Bonanza 48, Rogue River 12
Senior running back Tristan McGann rushed for 313 yards and four touchdowns on 28 carries as Bonanza (3-6, 3-3 2A Special District 5) scored its most points of the season in a home win over Rogue River (2-7, 1-5).
Sophomore receiver Isaac Noble ran for 58 yards on nine carries and scored a 28-yard touchdown on his only reception. The Antlers defense caused three turnovers: McGann forced a fumble and returned it 58 yards for a touchdown, Noble had an interception, and freshman defensive back Wade Horton had a 68-yard pick six.
Friday’s game was the last for Bonanza’s six seniors (McGann, Victor Gonzalez, Daniel Jones, Joel Rodriguez, John Nordin and Owen Thompson) and Rogue River’s five seniors (Byron Smith, Kyler Kewley, Jacob Stockman, Eli Arriola and Christopher Dyer).
“It was a good year,” Bonanza head coach Kelly Greif said. “It’s always tough when the seniors have to move on, but they taught the younger players how to play hard and how to lead.
“3-6 isn’t acceptable, so I’m excited for next season and picking up where we left off this year and continuing to get better.”
Hayfork 44, Tulelake 22
Tulelake (7-2, 4-1) led 6-0 after the first quarter, but five turnovers ultimately sank the Honkers in a rematch of last year’s CIF Northern Section 8 Man championship game at Hayfork (10-0, 5-0 NSCIF Division I).
The Timberjacks took a 16-6 lead at halftime and were up 30-6 after three quarters. They outgained Tulelake 399-174, with all of their offensive yards coming on the ground.
For the Honkers, senior quarterback Xavier Silva completed 1-of-5 passes for 5 yards (to classmate Anthony Loza) while rushing for 87 yards and three touchdowns on 14 attempts. Senior receiver Danny Garcia put up 69 yards on 14 carries. Senior defensive back Angel Sandoval led Tulelake with 15 tackles (including two sacks), followed by Loza with 14.
For Hayfork, junior quarterback Levi Cavalli ran for 249 yards and four touchdowns on 25 attempts. His only pass attempt fell incomplete.
“[Cavalli is] a really good QB who is good at the read option,” Tulelake head coach Matt Andrade said. “If you give him a lane, he will take off. He has top end track speed, and you can’t defend that.”
Senior running backs Anthony Bonelli (66 yards and two touchdowns on 15 carries) and Devin Nanez (84 yards on nine carries) provided the rest of the Timberjacks’ offensive output. Defensively, Bonelli forced and recovered two fumbles, with sophomore defensive back Tatum Wiley forcing another that was recovered by junior defensive lineman Aoden Colorado (who also recorded one sack). Junior defensive back Mukeng Yang had one interception. Junior linebacker Evan Pickett led Hayfork with 11 tackles, followed by Bonelli and Nanez with 10 each.
The Timberjacks secured the No. 1 seed in the section playoffs with the win, while Tulelake was given the No. 2 seed. Both teams will have a first-round bye before hosting semifinal games at 6 p.m. Nov. 15; Hayfork will host either No. 4 seed Big Valley (6-2) or No. 5 seed Burney (4-6), while Tulelake will host either No. 3 seed Herlong (6-1) or No. 6 seed Loyalton (5-4).
Crosspoint Christian 58, Chiloquin 30 (Saturday)
Crosspoint Christian (8-1, 7-1 1A[8] Special District 1) led 44-6 after the first quarter and 58-14 at halftime in Chiloquin’s (1-8, 1-7) season finale.
“I thought that we executed really, really well offensively,” Crosspoint Christian head coach Jim Johnston said. “That was our goal. I thought we did a really good job making our calls and blocking better up front.”
The visiting Warriors outgained the Panthers 476-214. The longest of their eight scoring drives lasted six plays, and five lasted three plays or fewer. Their 58 points were their second most of the season.
Senior quarterback Kody Sparks opened the scoring with a 48-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Trey Johnston before running for a 10-yard touchdown to help put Crosspoint Christian up 16-0. Sparks made it 22-0 with a 48-yard touchdown before junior running back Kayson Holmes scored on a 6-yard run to stretch the lead to 28-0. The Warriors’ last two touchdowns of the first quarter came on a 12-yard pass from Sparks to sophomore running back Junior Gonzalez and a 45-yard pass from Sparks to Johnston.
Chiloquin got on the board with a 27-yard touchdown run by sophomore running back Lalan Wilder. Crosspoint Christian answered with a 39-yard scoring run by Gonzalez on the fourth play of the second quarter that helped make it 52-6, then scored what would be its final touchdown on a 6-yard pass from freshman quarterback Baylon Cundall to junior offensive lineman Collin Kleinjan. On the third play of the following drive, Wilder broke off a 66-yard touchdown run to conclude the first half scoring.
Wilder scored both of the Panthers’ second-half touchdowns in the fourth quarter on runs of 14 and 50 yards. He finished with 222 yards and four touchdowns on 18 carries and completed 1-of-4 passes for 10 yards. Senior receiver Ezekiel Hardy had the lone reception and added three tackles and a pass deflection on defense in his final high school game. Junior defensive end Danny Black led Chiloquin with seven tackles, including one sack. Freshman defensive back Damon Lagrutta recorded one interception.
For Crosspoint Christian, Sparks completed 5-of-8 passes for 140 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 52 yards and two touchdowns on three attempts, and Cundall completed 2-of-5 passes for 10 yards and one touchdown with one interception. Johnston had three receptions for 97 yards and two touchdowns, while Gonzalez and Kleinjan’s touchdown receptions were their only catches of the game. Gonzalez led the Warriors ground game with 115 yards and one touchdown on eight carries, and Holmes finished with 64 yards and one touchdown on seven carries.
Junior defensive lineman Brock Throne led Crosspoint Christian with eight tackles, including two for loss with one sack. Gonzalez was second on the team with three tackles, including one for loss. Junior defensive end Clayton Turnage had two tackles–both for loss.
In addition to Hardy, Saturday’s game was the last for Chiloquin seniors Shyan Lind and Malakai Strider. The three-player class helped the Panthers score 286 points this season, their most since 2018. Chiloquin had scored 345 points in the previous three seasons combined, including 81 in 2023.
“We found out who we are offensively [this season],” Chiloquin head coach Brandon Hoaglen said. “The defense, we are still figuring out our identity. That comes with communication and trusting each other.
“To become a winner in this game, it takes a grind that our athletes are just starting to see. We had glimpses of it this season. We can be a football school too, and next year is where we put it all together.”
Crosspoint Christian received the No. 2 seed in the 1A[8] playoffs and will have a first-round bye before hosting either No. 7 seed Mohawk (6-3) or No. 10 seed Sherman/Condon (5-4) in the quarterfinals Nov. 15. It will be the second playoff appearance in program history; the Warriors were the No. 12 seed last season and lost 54-12 to No. 5 seed St. Paul in the first round.
