EUGENE—In Thurston’s final test before the postseason, it traveled to Willamette to take on the 7-1 Wolverines. Last week, Thurston coach Justin Starck stressed the importance of beating Willamette, stating, “That’s all that matters.”
Unfortunately for Starck and the Colts, the team stumbled out of the gate. Thurston gave up three unanswered touchdowns and the Wolverines led 23-0 at halftime. Things improved in the second half, but Thurston still lost 23-15.
At halftime, Starck kept the message simple for the Colts: “Just play our game, do what we do. We weren’t ourselves in the first half; we have to get back on track.”
Thurston started the second half on its own 32-yard line. The Colts drove to Willamette’s 21-yard line before quarterback Noah Blair threw an interception, giving Willamette the ball back at its 18-yard line.
“We have to work on ball security,” Starck said.
Knowing how close they were to a score, Thurston’s defense took the field with one objective: get the football back. And that’s what they did. After gaining 8 yards on its first three plays, Willamette attempted to convert a fourth down on the ground. The Colts stopped the runner short of the line-to-gain, regaining possession deep in Wolverine territory.
From there, it took three plays for Blair to connect with senior receiver Riley Foxx for a 5-yard score. This – paired with a 2-point conversion courtesy of David Macdonald – put the Colts back in the game down two scores, 23-8.
The rest of the third quarter was quiet for both teams, with no scoring.
After a short drive by the Wolverines to begin the fourth quarter, Thurston received the ball at their own 4, courtesy of a Willamette punt. The Colts drove all 96 yards to achieve their second score with a 17-yard catch by Tim Dreiling from Blair. This left Thurston down one score with 5:12 left on the clock.
As time ticked away, Thurston’s defense took the field. And once again, they succeeded. The Wolverines ran the ball twice for 3 total yards before throwing an incomplete pass – putting them at 4th-and-7 from their own 30-yard line. Wisely, Willamette punted.
The Colts took over at their own 41-yard line. Blair connected with senior receiver Luke Newell on consecutive plays to start the drive as Thurston moved 21 yards upfield. Unfortunately for the Colts, these were the last positive yards of the drive. After a dropped pass on their succeeding first down that would have put them in the red zone, the Colts went backward 2 yards before throwing two more incompletions for a turnover-on-down.
With 2:05 left to play, Thurston needed a miracle.
The Colts defense immediately forced a fumble, but Willamette recovered for 1-yard loss. Thurston didn’t let up from there, though, as the Wolverines could not achieve a first down on the drive. Willamette punted back to Thurston for one final drive, starting at Thurston’s 30-yard line.
“I’m proud of all of them,” said Starck about the team’s defense. “Cruz Gray played great – our inside linebacker. Both our defensive ends and Jordan Barr, I’m proud of all of them.”
From there, Blair went back to his favorite target Newell as they collected 18 yards in two plays before the quarterback ran it himself for 19. In just three plays – with the game on the line – Thurston took itself from its own 30-yard line to Willamette’s 33.
“They’re vital, they are vital (to our success),” Starck said about Blair and Newell. “Noah is our team leader. He’s the most accomplished passer in the history of the school, so he’s vital.”
Unfortunately for Thurston, this drive – yet again – ended there. The Colts could not connect on any of their next four throws, resulting in a turnover-on-downs and a Willamette victory, 23-15.
When asked about the biggest takeaway from this game, Starck said, “There’s no quit in them. We’ve just learned that we have a team that will fight. We’ve got to start fast.”
