THURSTON 54, WILLAMETTE 0
What2Know: If there was any doubt that Thurston would be contenders again come playoff time, it was squashed on Friday night. The Colts hosted a solid Willamette team and ran them off the field thanks to 35 first-quarter points. Thurston outgained Willamette 425 to -10 in the game and forced four fumbles, recovering all of them. The Colts were led on offense by a near-perfect performance from sophomore quarterback Noah Blair, who threw for 162 yards and four touchdowns in one half. Thurston has won six games in a row, largely because of a dominant rushing attack, which added 247 yards in this win. Will Dau and Darien Witham led the attack per usual, ending with 72 and 65 yards respectively.
Colts’ top performers: Noah Blair 8-for-14, 162 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT; Darien Witham 5 rushes, 65 yards, 1 TD; Will Dau 3 rushes, 72 yards, 1 TD; Walker Bonar 3 catches, 34 yards, 1 TD; Lombel Doreen, Luke Newell, Ethan Burkhead 1 TD catch each.
NORTH EUGENE 22, SPRINGFIELD 13
What2Know: In a Senior Night game that would have clinched Springfield’s first playoff appearance since 2015, the Millers stumbled. North Eugene made the short trip to Silke Field and dominated possession with a rushing attack that amassed 239 yards, 195 of that by quarterback Devon Anderson. Anderson rushed for two touchdowns and threw for another for the Highlanders. North Eugene ended the game running 57 plays, compared to 46 for Springfield. Although the Millers should still make the playoffs, the loss is an eye-opener for a team that had lost only to top-5 teams before this game. The Millers travel to face Eagle Point, who have the leading rusher in all of 5A in David Brown.
Millers’ top performers: Caeleb Kasperek 10-for-16, 130 yards, 1 TD, 50 yards rushing; Connor Dye 10 rushes, 52 yards, 1 TD, 4 catches, 39 yards; Isaiah Navarrete 3 catches, 23 yards, 1 TD.
JUNCTION CITY 50, COTTAGE GROVE 13
What2Know: Cottage Grove (0-8) gave up 50 points for the third time this season in its final home game. The offense scored double-digit points for the fourth consecutive week, but Cottage Grove was ultimately outmatched by Junction City. The Lions’ final chance to win a game this season comes next week at 2-6 Hidden Valley.
