(12) Dallas vs. (4) Thurston
Game facts: 7 p.m. at Cottage Grove High School, 1375 S. River Rd. … Tickets are $10
What2Know: For the second week in a row Thurston welcomes a Mid-Willamette conference opponent. This time it’s the Dallas Dragons, who are fresh off an upset over No. 5 Putnam. Zayvian Webster rushed for 154 yards and two scores in that win, although Emilio Miranda has been the Dragons’ best rusher all year. Dallas is similar to West Albany, as the Dragons are a run-heavy team. Quarterback Owen Hess threw for only five touchdowns in the regular season. For Thurston, the fact there should be light or no rain in Cottage Grove on Friday might help open up Noah Blair and a passing game that the Colts have worked on improving all year. Vaun Halstead was the featured back in last week’s win, in part because of a first-half injury to Darien Witham. Witham returned to the game and will be good to go against Dallas, so look for that duo to be featured heavily in the run game.
Pierre’s take: Due to last week’s mudfest, Thurston secured a turf field at CGHS for its second-round game. The turf field and better weather should make for a more balanced attack for the Colts. The defense gave up more than they would have liked last week, but they’re well accustomed to run-first teams, and should be prepared for Dallas.