Coming off a humbling loss to Beaverton to open the season, Summit was looking to get back on track Saturday night against Grants Pass.

The Storm did not get the win. But they did get better.

“Oh, absolutely,” said Summit coach Corben Hyatt after his team’s 48-41 setback in a nonleague game that was delayed by a day because of smoky conditions Friday in Bend.

“Our kids competed,” Hyatt added. “Grants Pass is a good ballclub — they scored 41 last week (in the Cavemen’s 64-41 loss to Oregon City). We gave up a couple touchdowns on special teams, they blocked a punt … we’ve got to get better on special teams.”

The Cavemen (1-1) led 42-41 late in the fourth quarter and scored another touchdown with 1:17 remaining to take a 48-41 lead. Hyatt said the Storm allowed the Grants Pass touchdown so they could get the ball back with enough time to score themselves and perhaps tie or even win the game.

Summit did quickly move well into Caveman territory, and with two seconds left a completed pass and a series of laterals got the ball inside the 10-yard line. Hyatt contended that the play was still alive when officials blew it dead as game time ran out.

“One of our linemen had it (the ball), and I thought he was still moving the pile,” Hyatt said.

Grants Pass scored on a 48-yard touchdown run by Jaren Emptage just over two minutes into the game for a 7-0 lead, and Summit trailed until Carlie Martin’s 4-yard TD run and Henry Bledsoe’s two-point conversion pass to Dylan Ruhl made it 35-35 at 7:12 of the third quarter. Magnus Schmidt’s 1-yard touchdown run later in the period put the hosts up for the first time, 41-35.

Bledsoe completed 16 of 30 passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Schmidt gained 144 yards on 27 rushing attempts and scored three TDs.

The Storm, now 0-2 including last week’s 37-7 loss to Beaverton, have a third straight nonleague home game Friday against Newberg.