KLAMATH FALLS, Ore – The 31st South Side Series lived up to the billing as one of the most exciting football games of the season as the Mazama Vikings 8-0(5-0) earned a 44-36 win over Henley 7-1(4-1).
In the lead-up to Friday night’s showdown, both teams were unbeaten and ranked at the top of the state. The players were self-motivated knowing that this rivalry matchup would help decide a Big Sky Conference champion. The forecast called for rain after halftime, and even then, the stands at Hill O’Brien Field were jam-packed full of supporters from both schools. Fans stretched around the perimeter of the track before the coin toss.
Mazama began with the football, and the offense led by junior quarterback Tyson Van Gastel drove to the Henley 28-yard line for a second down play. Henley’s Kyle Nichols forced the ball loose from Van Gastel and the Hornets recovered what would be the first of three Viking turnovers.
Henley squandered their first possession and Mazama followed it up with a 74-yard 10-play drive for a score, putting them up 8-0 after a two-point conversion. The Hornets fired back on the next drive as senior quarterback Shaw Stork ran in a 30-yard touchdown. After another two-point try, the game was knotted at 8.
Mazama jumped out to a two-score advantage after Trevor Anderson and Treyce Horton found the endzone in the second quarter. The Vikings led 22-8 when Henley took the football back. The Hornets capped off a scoring drive with Shaw Stork’s first passing touchdown of the evening when he found Tyler Harper in the back left corner for a score.
The teams went to the locker rooms with Mazama leading 22-14. The Hornets began the second half with the ball and took advantage when Logan Whitlock rumbled into the endzone. The Hornets would convert on the two-point try and tie the game at 22.
Mazama again built a 14-point lead after a Trevor Anderson touchdown and a Whitlock fumble that led to a Brody Hubble score. Henley again had their backs against the wall, but they answered the call. Shaw Stork and the Hornets maneuvered the ball downfield and found paydirt when he connected with Owen Cheyne for a score. Then, when Mazama got the ball back, the Hornets forced another Viking turnover when Anderson lost the football. On the ensuing Henley drive, Logan Whitlock scored the touchdown and two-point conversion that would tie the game at 36.
When Mazama got the football back with 7:12 to go in the game, everyone in the stands knew what was coming. The Vikings would try and eat the clock and score late, and that’s exactly what they did. Tyson Van Gastel punched it in from a yard out with 42-seconds to go in the game. Henley had no timeouts when they got the ball back, so when Shaw Stork threw an interception on the final offensive play for the Hornets, it was a period on a sentence that had already been written.
Mazama remains undefeated and is the #1 ranked team in the state. Henley has a loss and dropped to #4 in Oregon. With this win, the Vikings also claimed their 6th straight South Side Series win to move to the all-time record of 16-15 in favor of Henley.
