KLAMATH FALLS, Ore – The Henley Hornets 6-0(3-0) are back on the road for the final time in the regular season. This week they travel back to the coast to visit the Marshfield Pirates 5-1(3-0).
The Hornets dominated last week when they took a 54-7 win over Klamath Union. Henley came in as the favorite, stuck to the game plan, and handled business. They were led partially by senior Rylan Fox on defense who accrued six tackles in the blowout win.
“We worked all week,” said Fox. “I’ve worked on closing the outside gap and hitting hard. We did a good job against KU.”
Marshfield also grabbed a win last week when they laid the hammer on Ashland 45-8. The Pirates are the defending State Champions and beat Henley in the Quarterfinals on their way to the title.
“It’s almost a redemption match,” said Shaw Stork. “Last year we lost by a good margin to a very good team. Probably the best football team I have ever played. But I am excited to show them this year that we can play.”
Marshfield joined the Big Sky Conference when the Oregon Schools Activities Association re-aligned classifications and leagues. So far the Pirates are unbeaten in conference play, joining the Hornets and the Mazama Vikings as the only teams with a perfect league record. Their only loss comes during a non-conference game when they fell to Cascade 30-6, a team Henley beat 40-22.
“It’s a lot different team than the one we saw last year,” said coach Alex Stork. “I’ve been really impressed with as many new guys as they have, their coaches have done a great job progressing each week.”
The 2021 State Champion Pirates graduated 18 players, many of whom you may have seen playing on Saturdays at the college level. Dom Montiel for example plays for the Oregon State Beavers. The deep ball came easy for the 6’2 athlete as he passed for 3,666 yards his senior season. This year Marshfield’s squad is noticeably different.
“They really like the perimeter pass game and perimeter screen game,” said coach Stork. “We are going to have to be a little bit harder in the flats on defense.”
Against the Grizzlies, the Pirates quarterback, senior Landon Croff tossed for 345 yards and five touchdowns. It’s no secret that Marshfield still likes to throw the rock, but the Henley defensive backs have continued to work hard to prevent a big showing.
“They can run the ball pretty good too. They got a good team and are well coached,” said Rylan Fox. “It will be a great opportunity to play them.”
This game holds a lot of water for the Big Sky Conference final standings. Barring any miracles or lack thereof, both of these teams should make the playoffs. The Big Sky gets three automatic qualifiers to the tournament, and a fourth team could sneak in with an at-large bid. Both of these squads are in the driver’s seat to make the postseason, but a game like this means a tremendous amount for seeding purposes.
Watch as the Hornets battle the Pirates on Friday night on mybasin.com.
