The defensive line will be led by Honorable Mention Sunset selection Sr. DE Mathew Bohn. Jr. DE Nick Beiter, who played a significant amount in 2007, returns as well.

The secondary returns 2 of 3 starters and arguably the program’s best all-around athlete in Jr. FS Ben Joffer, and So. CB Tyler Stickler. “I admit I’m biased, but Ben was the best defensive back I saw at the 3A level this year. And that includes Gold Beach and Vale. He flies to the football and tackles extremely well, which is exactly what we expect of our free-safety. Tyler is a tough kid who loves to compete. He cracked some ribs in the first couple of plays in the Vale game and still came back and played in the 4th quarter. He is extremely athletic and had a tremendous freshman season.”

Offensively, the ‘Challenger Juggernaut' returns 5 starters, including the leading rusher; Sr. WB Daniel Kinney, the leading receiver; Jr. TE Ben Joffer, and leading passer; Jr. QB Colton Cochran. Explosive Jr. FB Cameron Tooker also returns. Sr. G Mathew Bohn and Jr. G Nick Beiter return to lead the offensive line.

Even with the quality kids that return, Coach Boice admits that dethroning Gold Beach as the perennial power will prove daunting. “In my opinion, all of their best players return, which is not good for us or the rest of the conference. Their talent level really is amazing.” Also, because of the addition of Rogue River into the Sunset Conference, a scheduling quirk will take CC to Gold Beach for a third straight season. “I don’t understand how that can happen. Obviously I’m disappointed for our kids as home field advantage has played a significant role in this rivalry. Nevertheless, we won't worry about things we can’t control.”

Challenger Football's quest to join the state's elite 3A programs will continue in 2008 and fall largely on the shoulders of developing underclassmen. Players such as; Sr. WB/LB Connor Kirkpatrick, Sr. TE/DB Taylor Ost, Sr. OL/DL Gabe Brown, Jr. QB/LB Jake Gettman, So. TE/DB Tyler Marshall, So. TE/LB John Williamson, Jr. WB/DB Austin Wipf, So. WB/LB Josh Muswieck, So. WB/LB Tyler Beard, Jr. TE/LB Josh Orton, So. FB/LB Garrett Banks, So. OL/DL Brock Scott, Jr. OL/LB Drew Davis, Jr. OL/DL Chris Olson and Jr. OL/DL Jake Williams are just some of the names that will be counted on to make the transition from a tough 6-2-1 JV squad to the Varsity ranks.

Challengers fall to Vikings, 20-6. Generating only 176 yards of total offense and 6 points, CC's run at the 3A State Title came up short against a great Vale team Saturday. Coach Boice stated, "We're very disappointed because all along, we felt we had what it took to compete in the playoffs at this level. Based on today, we obviously did not. Vale dominated us in every facet of the game." CC was able to hold Vale to 230 yards of total offense but with no offense of their own to speak of, the Challengers could not get it done. Daniel Kinney led all rushers with 86 yards on 14 carries and a TD.

Challengers roll loggers, 63-0. The 'CC D' provided its fourth straight shut-out and held Vernonia to 36 total yards from scrimmage en-route to the playoff win at Spiegelberg Stadium Saturday. The Challenger offense churned out 517 total yards with 419 coming on the ground. Sr. WB Ben Heidegger led all rushers with 87 yards and a touchdown on 7 carries. Jr. WB Daniel Kinney added 52 yards and 2 touchdowns on 5 carries while Sr. WB Alex Cummings tallied 62 yards on only 3 carries. So. QB Colton Cochran was 3 for 5 passing for 98 yards, hooking up with So. TE Ben Joffer for all three receptions and both touchdowns.

St. Mary's Forfeits. St. Mary's officials announced Monday afternoon that they would be forfeiting the 2007 'Holy Bowl.' "In my opinion it's unfortunate for everyone involved, but especially the kids. Now we just have to move on, not let this be a distraction and prepare for the playoffs," stated Coach Boice. CC, winners of the last three 'Holy Bowls' have outscored St. Mary's 158-14 during that span. The Crusaders have not scored a point in the last 10 quarters of play. In the 2005 victory in which the Challengers were ahead 62-0 at halftime, the CC offense did not attempt one forward pass. CC officials asked for the opportunity to play the second half with all JV players but St. Mary's officials still refused that option, declining to play even one half of a varsity game.

Challengers roll Myrtle Point, 69-0. Behind 4 takeaways and a suffocating defense, CC won their third straight game in front of an energetic crowd at Dutch Meyer Stadium on Friday. The ‘CC D’ held the bobcats to only 55 total yards. Offensively, the Challenger Double-Wing produced 500 total yards and 69 points against a highly touted Myrtle Point defense. Myrtle Point had allowed double-digit points in only one previous game, 14 points the week before to Coquille. “I believe that was our most complete effort to this point. The kids were excited for this challenge and showed it,” stated Coach Boice. Standout defensive performances belonged to Sr. MLB Ben Heidegger, who had an outstanding interception on the game’s third play from scrimmage; So. OLB Brandon Grissom; Sr. DE Justin Duchien; and Fr. CB Tyler Stickler. Offensively, Heidegger rushed for 92 yards and 2 TD’s on only 3 carries. He also had a TD reception. So. FB Cameron Tooker added 79 yards and a TD on 4 carries while So. QB Colton Cochran was 4 for 6 passing for 116 yards and 3 TD’s.

'CC D' earns second shutout. Allowing only 38 yards of total offense, the Challengers dominated Reedsport en-route to the 59-0 win Friday night. The Braves were held to only 3 first-downs, 2 of which came at the hands of CC penalties. "The kids came out ready to play this week which I appreciated because we came out so flat against Bandon. They played hard and that's the ultimate goal," stated Coach Boice. “We’ll have to have that same intensity this week versus a dangerous Myrtle Point team.” Junior Daniel Kinney led all rushers with 80 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 carries while sophomore quarterback Colton Cochran continues to improve, going 4 for 7 with 3 touchdowns and 79 yards through the air.

Challengers shutout Tigers. Behind 508 yards of total offense, CC got back on the winning track with the 56-0 victory. The CC defense flew to the football and earned the shutout while holding the Tigers to only 2 first-downs and 58 total yards of offense. Daniel Kinney led all rushers with 172 yards and 3 touchdowns on 14 carries. Josh Kirkland added 76 yards on 11 carries with a touchdown while Alex Cummings tallied 57 yards and a touchdown on 5 carries. Sophomore fullback Cameron Tooker also added a touchdown and 51 yards on only 6 carries.

Challengers 22, Gold Beach 27. The Challengers fell short in their upset bid Friday night falling to the #1 team in the state 27-22. “You can’t make mistakes against a program like Gold Beach and expect to win, and we made mistakes,” stated Offensive/Defensive Coordinator Brandon Boice. “We didn’t finish when we had the chances and they took advantage. They are very good, but we had the opportunities we needed to win.” CC outgained Gold Beach in total yardage, 283 to 242 and held the Panthers to only 36 yards through the air on 4 completions. Junior WB Daniel Kinney led CC’s ground attack with 104 yards and 2 TD’s on 15 carries. Senior FB Ben Heidegger contributed 60 yards and a TD on 8 carries. Challenger Sophomore QB Colton Cochran continues to improve, completing 5 passes for 66 yards.

Challengers 59, Red Devils 14. After allowing an 8-point lead early in the first, Challenger Football woke up in the second quarter and got its second straight Sunset Conference victory, this time triumphing over the Coquille Red Devils. Tallying 480 total yards, 447 coming on the ground, CC ran straight towards the win Saturday night at Dutch Meyer Stadium. Freshman Tyler Stickler led the way with 95 yards and a touchdown on 8 carries. Junior Daniel Kinney added 82 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 carries while Senior Ben Heidegger also scored twice with 92 total yards on only 5 carries.

Challengers take care of business at Glide, 45-6. With 45 first half points and 358 yards rushing over four-quarters, Cascade Christian defeated the Glide Wildcats for their Sunset League opener. Nine different ball carriers contributed to the win with Senior Alex Cummings leading the charge with 84 yards on only 5 carries and two touchdowns. Freshman Tyler Stickler contributed 81 yards on 13 carries. Defensively, the CC 'D' held Glide to only one first-down, and that was due to a penalty. The small but aggressive defense gave up only 38 total yards. Offensive and Defensive Coordinator Brandon Boice gave specific praise to NT Ryan Palmer, DE Justin Duchien and DT Mathew Bohn, starting his first game on the defensive side of the ball. "Those three guys up front were the difference for us. They really got off the ball and made life very difficult for them." MLB Ben Heidegger had another monster game at linebacker with two sacks.

Challengers lose heartbreaker to Henley, 23-22. A field goal with two-seconds remaining sealed Cascade Christian’s fate after a hard-hitting battle on the gridiron Saturday night at Dutch Meyer Stadium. It was the second year in a row that the Challengers lost to the 4A school in the last minute of play. Henley, a member of the 4A Skyline Conference, doubles Cascade Christian’s enrollment. The Challengers took a 16-6 lead into the locker room at halftime but two costly fumbles in the second-half doomed CC’s bid for the upset. The Challengers swarming defense held Henley to only 235 total yards but in the end, the turnovers by CC proved too much to overcome. “You can’t expect to beat a team as fast, physical and well-coached as Henley when you cough the ball up,” said Challenger Offensive and Defensive Coordinator Brandon Boice. Boice added, “We had our chances to win and didn’t get it done, we didn’t deserve to win tonight. All of the credit goes to Henley, they are a class-act program.” The Challenger Double-Wing attack managed 220 yards on the ground with Freshman Tyler Stickler leading the way with 67 yards on only 3 carries.

Challengers open season with win at Sutherlin, 50-12. The 2007 version of Challenger Football opened its season with a dominant victory at 4A Sutherlin on Friday night, 50-12. Behind 392 total yards, 364 coming on the ground, CC stole the upset on the road. Defensively, CC started eight new faces from the 2006 campaign and suffered through some growing pains early but responded by holding the Bulldogs to 43 total yards in the second quarter and 21 in the third. The Challengers also took the pigskin away from Sutherlin six times with four fumbles and two interceptions. CC was able to clear the bench so that every player that made the trip got into the game with ten minutes left to go. In all, nine players carried the ball for CC’s Double-Wing attack.