Joe Padilla remembers that hard-fought game well. His players and assistant coaches surely do too.

How could they forget it? That mid-September battle at Ashland, a 15-14 loss, remains as the only blemish to an otherwise flawless season. Summit had a chance to win, but a penalty pushed the Storm out of field goal range late in the fourth quarter, and quarterback John Bledsoe’s Hail Mary pass as the clock struck zero was knocked down by an Ashland defender.

Padilla, the Summit coach, just as vividly recalls the aftermath: players and coaches shaking the hands of their counterparts after the game, each of them recognizing the talent and potential of their opponent and saying, “We’ll see you in the playoffs.”

How prescient.

At Hillsboro Stadium this afternoon, No. 6 Summit and No. 5 Ashland meet once more — this time for the Class 5A football state championship.

Don’t expect today’s game to play out like it did two months ago. Each team has found a groove: The Storm have won nine straight and the Grizzlies have won their last five. Sure, there might be some scheming based on the two foes’ previous meeting, but Summit’s approach this week, Padilla says, is simple: “We’re looking at Ashland like it’s a new team.”

Summit (11-1) is also preparing for the Grizzlies (10-2) in a new environment. Snowfall began piling up during the Storm’s practice at the high school Tuesday morning, limiting the team to running drills and plays in a restrictive space near a sideline. And Wednesday, with its home field under about a foot of snow, Summit relocated its practice indoors to the Bend Fieldhouse at Vince Genna Stadium.

Still, even the snow might not slow down the Storm, who have outscored opponents 404-66 since their 14-13 home win over Marist a week after the loss at Ashland. In those eight games, Summit has outscored its opponents in the first half 247-28.

“Those were our roughest two weeks of the season,” Padilla says of the Ashland and Marist nonleague games. Those games also immediately followed the loss of standout tight end and defensive end Cam McCormick, who suffered a season-ending knee injury during practice the week after Summit’s season opener. “I think we were unsure of our ability, still kind of reeling, I think, a little bit from losing Cam. Not that he would have been the difference-maker in terms of stats, but just having a leader gone and a high-profile kid, I think our kids were like, ‘Oh no,’ without realizing, ‘You know what? We can do it. We can do it without Cam. We’re going to be OK. Everyone just needs to step up a little bit.’ Once they figured that out, that’s kind of when things started rolling.”

The Storm have cruised in their past eight games, including last Saturday’s 41-7 romp over No. 2 Crater in a semifinal game at Grants Pass High School. Led by quarterback John Bledsoe, who has completed 67 percent of his passes for 2,322 yards and 29 touchdowns against just two interceptions this season, Summit ranks as the No. 2 scoring team in 5A, averaging nearly 48 points per game. The Storm boast a balanced offensive attack that features running back Dawson Ruhl, who has rushed for 925 yards and 15 touchdowns this season, and wide receiver Sean Kent, who leads the team in receiving yards (798), all-purpose yards (1,617) and total touchdowns (18). Summit also has a deep receiving corps featuring three wideouts — Nick Rasmussen, Grant Tobias and Tim Meagher — who have four touchdown catches apiece.

“You try to match up your strength with their strength, see how much you can try to catch up with some of your challenges on your side of the ball, try to close the gap where there’s a talent gap,” says Charlie Hall, now in his 11th season as the Ashland head coach. “They certainly have good kids at a lot of positions, and that’s kind of the big challenge when you’re playing those guys because they have so many weapons on offense and they have so many athletes on defense. It makes it a real challenge.”

That defense has limited opponents to a total of just 114 points — the fewest in 5A — and just 90 rushing yards per game. Only two teams have eclipsed 100 yards rushing against the Storm defense, which held Ashland to 49 yards rushing and 257 total yards earlier this season.

“They’re playing so well on defense and shutting everybody down,” Hall observes. “I feel like we’re playing better offensively than we have been. I think we’re reaching, hopefully, our peak in terms of the chemistry and jell of the offensive unit and the offensive line. That’s really been a vastly improved component of our offense, especially during this playoff run.”

Ashland’s offense is no slouch, especially after the scoring barrage it put on last Saturday in a 63-35 victory over No. 9 Wilsonville. The Grizzlies (10-2) head into today’s state final with a pair of quarterbacks who have proved to be effective throughout the season. Tucker Atteberry has passed for 1,035 yards and 12 touchdowns, but the starting nod for the state championship goes to Kyle Weinberg, who has totaled 1,377 passing yards and 18 touchdowns to go along with eight rushing scores.

There is also running back Mason Dow, who has rushed for 766 yards and six touchdowns, and wide receiver Walker Shibley, who has recorded 694 receiving yards and seven touchdowns.

The striking difference between the two 5A finalists is in playoff experience. Before this season, Summit was 0-4 in playoff games. Ashland, meanwhile, had qualified for the state playoffs each of the past six years, advancing to the quarterfinals last season and the semifinals in 2013.

“We’re getting to the point where the kids have confidence,” Hall says. “They can handle the big stage of playing in the playoffs and things like that. And you obviously have talent. I think in high school, you just kind of wait for that cycle of kids that are good athletes that are just dedicated and committed, and we have that good group of seniors right now.”

But while the Storm lack playoff seasoning, a number of their players have been in this kind of spotlight before. Linebacker Jacob Thompson and lineman Noah Yunker, for example, have competed in the wrestling state championships, and running back Jason Garcia and quarterback Troy Viola, among others, played on the Summit baseball team that advanced to the state semifinals last spring.

“That helps us, to have that kind of, almost, calm,” Padilla says. “But obviously there’s a lot of excitement, too, because knowing our past, five or six years ago, no one would have ever said, ‘Oh yeah, you’ll be in the state championship.’”

Yet here is Summit, five years removed from a winless season, ready to take on perennial contender Ashland for the 5A state championship. And Hall is well aware that the Storm are motivated to exact vengeance on his Ashland squad.

“I know,” Hall says, “they’re chomping at the bit to get back at us, because it is the one blemish on their season.”

— Reporter: 541-383-0307, 
glucas@bendbulletin.com.

Next up

Class 5A state championship: No. 6 Summit vs. No. 5 Ashland

Where: Hillsboro Stadium

When: 4 p.m. today

Tickets: Adults $10, students $5

Radio: KICE 940-AM, KCOE 94.9-FM

Twitter: Follow The Bulletin’s Grant Lucas for updates: @GrantDLucas

Online: Audio at www.osaa.org/radio-network (free), video at www.nfhsnetwork.com/channels/oregon ($9.95 for all day)

Road to the final

Summit (11-1)

Sept. 4 at Pendleton W, 62-13

Sept. 11 vs. Franklin W, 65-7

Sept. 18 at Ashland L, 15-14

Sept. 25 vs. Marist W, 14-13

Oct. 2 at Mountain View W, 55-3

Oct. 9 vs. Redmond W, 49-7

Oct. 16 at Ridgeview W, 59-7

Oct. 23 vs. Bend W, 49-7

Oct. 30 at N. Salem W, 50-7

Nov. 6 vs. S. Albany W, 59-14

Nov. 13 at Redmond W, 42-14

Nov. 21 vs. Crater W, 41-7

Ashland (10-2)

Sept. 4 vs. Klamath Union W, 61-0

Sept. 11 at Dallas W, 40-16

Sept. 18 vs. Summit W, 15-14

Sept. 25 at Ridgeview W, 28-7

Oct. 2 vs. Churchill W, 44-15

Oct. 9 at Crater L, 47-19

Oct. 16 at Springfield L, 44-21

Oct. 23 vs. Marist W, 31-6

Oct. 30 at Eagle Point W, 55-16

Nov. 6 vs. Bend W, 39-21

Nov. 13 at Springfield W, 35-27

Nov. 21 vs. Wilsonville W, 63-35