Behind a stout defensive effort and a second-half comeback, Summit finally notched its first win of the season with a 24-6 nonleague victory over Henley on Friday night.

The 5A Storm (1-3) trailed the 4A Hornets (2-1) at halftime but rallied to score 21 unanswered points and kept Henley out of the end zone for the entire game to end the nonleague football schedule on a high note at Summit High School.

“With us being young and coming off a tough week, we had to have a tight game plan and we ran it to a tee,” said Summit coach Corben Hyatt. “We had to run the ball and be physical. We thought we could get them tired with our depth. These guys battled and stuck together. It’s been hard but I’m proud of them.”

After three straight losses to start the season against three powerhouses — Silverton, Wilsonville and Idaho’s Highland — the Storm played another tough opponent, this time the reigning Class 4A champions.

Despite being in a lower classification, the Hornets proved up to the task, holding Summit to a single Max Shepherd field goal in the first half, while kicking two field goals themselves to build a 6-3 lead by halftime.

“They know how to win,” said Summit senior center and linebacker Marco Larsen. “They are the state champs. They know how to win. It doesn’t matter who they are playing with, they are going to keep working and keep fighting.”

But in the second half the Storm began to take the game over. Sophomore quarterback Andrew Guthrie gave Summit its first lead of the game when he connected with senior wideout Kai Scally on a 16-yard slant for a touchdown.

“That one felt great, especially after not getting in the end zone last week,” Guthrie said. “It felt great throwing that first one to him because we have been working so hard together during the offseason.”

In the fourth quarter, clinging to a four-point lead, the Hornets began mounting a drive into Summit territory but senior safety Ari Villano denied the Henley scoring chance with an interception. That kicked off a string of big plays for the defense to keep the Hornets out of the end zone.

The Storm were without two defensive ends in seniors Matteo Larsen and Alex Nevarov, who were out with injuries. Stepping in were juniors Kellen Elliot and Colson Skuse, who had two sacks in the fourth quarter to halt any chance of Henley making a late rally.

It took some time for the Summit offense to find a rhythm, but as the game wore on the rushing lanes began to open.

Guthrie gave the Storm a bit of insurance when he scampered into the end zone on third-and-long for an 8-yard touchdown.

Senior running back Sawyer Crocker, who had multiple carries of 10 or more yards in the second half, capped the game off with a 15-yard touchdown run in the closing minutes.

Hyatt said after the game that this was the best the Summit offensive line had played all season.

“That was our goal was to run against them,” Larsen said. “We knew we could run on them. We felt we could tire them out.”

For the second straight season, the Storm will enter Intermountain Conference play with a 1-3 record. But that did not stop Summit from finishing second in the IMC and reaching the 5A state semifinals last year.

The Storm will have a bye week before their IMC opener at Ridgeview on Oct. 4.

“This sets us up nicely for league, and gives us some confidence,” Hyatt said. “The league is going to be a lot better this year. It’s not going to be easy. But this team has been battled tested.”

Other Friday football scores

Mountain View 42, Canby 14

Caldera 35, Lebanon 18

Bend 37, Mazama 7

Ridgeview 42, Corvallis 34

Redmond 36, Southridge 0

Crook County 55, Molalla 19

Sisters 49, Elmira 7

Culver 52, Rogue River 6