The idea was to make sure Cascade Christian’s football team, which experienced a big changeover from a year ago, would be put to the test early to harden the Challengers for another deep state playoff run.

The hope was that might also come with victories, but that hasn’t necessarily been the case for the two-time reigning 3A state champions.

Cascade Christian suffered a second straight defeat in a game that came down to the final moments Friday night, coming up just shy in a 37-36 setback to reigning 4A state champion Henley on its home field in Klamath Falls.

A week after Siuslaw rallied past the Challengers for a 40-35 win on a walk-off touchdown, Henley quarterback Joe Janney connected on his fourth touchdown pass of the game with 4:47 to play — a 5-yard dropoff to Trapper Cundall — and an ensuing extra-point kick by Max Tobiasson proved to be the difference in the nonconference clash.

Cascade Christian quarterback Deryk Farmer saw his fourth-down pass fall incomplete with just over two minutes remaining to turn the ball back over to the 4A No. 3-ranked Hornets (3-1), who then ran out the clock.

The sixth-ranked Challengers fell to 1-3 — marking the first such start for the 3A squad since 2015, when Cascade Christian turned it up thereafter to finish 7-4 after ultimately losing in the state quarterfinals.

Farmer rushed 14 times for 176 yards and four touchdowns and completed 16 of 23 passes for 164 yards, one TD and one interception. Farmer’s 6-yard TD run and a two-point conversion by Caleb Scaglione gave the Challengers a 36-30 led midway through the fourth quarter.

Scaglione added 78 yards rushing on eight carries and caught five passes for 88 yards and a 32-yard score for Cascade Christian, which entered this season on a 26-game winning streak but graduated several key playmakers.

Janney completed 20 of 35 passes for 312 yards and four TDs and ran 17 times for 106 yards and a score. Mark Carpenter collected eight catches for 139 yards and one TD for the Hornets.

Alex Fiannaca led the Challengers with 9 ½ tackles, while Farmer contributed eight tackles and Michael Covey had 6 ½ tackles with one sack and one interception.

Cascade Christian 14 7 7 8 — 36

Henley 3 14 13 7 — 37

H — FG Tobiasson 23

CC — Farmer 73 run (conversion failed)

CC — Scaglione 32 pass from Farmer (Farmer run)

H — Shively 10 pass from Janney (Tobiasson kick)

H — Carpenter 55 pass from Janney (Tobiasson kick)

CC — Farmer 11 run (Fiannaca kick)

H — Montag 14 pass from Janney (Tobiasson kick)

H — Janney 7 run (conversion failed)

CC — Farmer 44 run (Fiannaca kick)

CC — Farmer 6 run (Scaglione run)

H — Cundall 5 pass from Janney (Tobiasson kick)