Bend Senior Lava Bears Football 9-26 Caldera

Caldera handed Bend a 26-9 defeat in Intermountain Conference (5A) football Friday night in Bend, Oregon, dropping the Lava Bears to 0-3 on the season and 0-1 in league play. The loss opens conference action on a difficult note for a Bend squad still searching for its first win of the fall. Caldera controlled much of the game, building a lead the Lava Bears could not overcome despite a late scoring effort that kept the final margin from widening further. Without a detailed box score, the story of the night appears to be Bend's inability to generate consistent offense against a Caldera defense that made things uncomfortable throughout. The Lava Bears managed just nine points, leaving points on the field at moments when momentum could have shifted. Bend will need to regroup quickly, with the Intermountain Conference schedule only getting more demanding. The Lava Bears return to action next week looking to get into the win column for the first time in 2026.