THURSTON – Thurston athletic director and head football coach Justin Starck was preparing for the team’s second home game of the season – complete with activities such as fundraisers, concessions, and “Friday Night Lights” festivities – when a South Eugene school official called Saturday morning and said The Axe would have to forfeit the upcoming game.
“I was super frustrated, mostly as an athletic director,” Starck said Friday before what was a scheduled home game between Thurston and the visiting Axe. “This is the second time in three years that they’ve forfeited to us. Both times it was our home game. It puts us in a tough spot. You need to account for a certain number of home games for your fans and revenue. To get dropped and have less than a week to find a replacement is difficult.”
The Oregon School Activities Association officially posted the forfeit on Tuesday. South Eugene first-year coach, Eric Scott, said the reason was due to a lack of players.
“Due to a lack of available players, we unfortunately have to cancel the upcoming game against Thurston High School,” Scott wrote in an email on Tuesday. “This decision was made with the safety and well-being of our players as the top priority, ensuring they get the rest they need to finish the season strong. This is not a setback, but rather a precautionary step to protect our team as we continue to grow. As we bring in more players and build this program, we remain committed to developing a safe, competitive, and successful future for our athletes.”
South Eugene has struggled to get its program off the ground after not having a team in 2020 and ’21. In its first season back in 2022, South Eugene forfeited its game at Thurston in the third-to-last league game of the season. The Axe has about 30 players on their team. With the addition of the forfeit their record is 0-3 and they have an 18-game losing streak dating to the 2023 season.
Starck found himself scrambling to fill the vacant schedule spot. He accessed an Oregon state website that posted a list of all teams that need games for the week of Sept. 19. And out of all the teams, only one was listed: The Henley Hornets, a Class 4A powerhouse.
The Colts couldn’t have found a better competitive matchup. Henley, based in Klamath Falls, will be making a three-hour trip to Thurston for the game.
“We were so fortunate,” Starck said. “They’re really good. They’re extremely good for a school. They’ll be a quality opponent, and regardless of their classification, they’ll give us all we can handle and more.”
The Class 4A favorite has 24 seniors on its roster and dominated Marist Catholic last week 33-7. The Hornets have gone 24-2 in the past two years with a Class 4A title in 2023. In ’24 their only two losses were to Class 5A Summit in non-league play and Marist Catholic in the state championship game.
The fact that the Colts received such a formidable opponent was truly the luck of the draw. Given that the Colts could’ve played against any team from 1A-6A in the state to fill the vacancy.
“We could have played against anyone,” Starck said. “But no one else was looking for a game. This was the only team in the state that needed a game today. We didn’t have any choices at all with teams or classifications. It was Henley or nothing.”
Thurston’s scheduled bye week is in Week 9. Starck said that an additional bye week was not an option given that it was a home game. As an athletic director, he has knowledge of the full-extent of damage when a cancellation occurs, highlighting the obligations to various stakeholders, including fans, student organizations, and the school district.
“We didn’t really want to only have eight games,” he said. “But also, as the athletic director, not the football coach, we have obligations to so many people. We have people that bought reserved seats that would be short of a game they paid for. Our Black Student Union is doing concessions tonight as a fundraiser. The school district counts on the game receipts to pay all the officials and the coaches and the bills, transportation, and all the expenses that are associated with football.
“To just not have the game would have been a huge loss. Not only financially, but to our student body. They want to have their Friday Night Lights. To not be able to give our students a game would have been a bummer. If this would have been a road game, it would’ve been better. But we still would’ve wanted to play. We want to have nine games. Our kids need to play,” Starck said.
While the non-league game tonight will not be included in the computer rankings, it still will be tacked on to each school’s overall record. Starck said the significance of the game is team morale and the experience of playing a strong opponent.
“We’ve played Class 6A schools before and to play up or down a classification really isn’t that big of a deal,” Starck said. “This is for morale, playing a really good quality opponent, and having a game on a Friday night. Also, testing ourselves against what appears to be the best team in Class 4A. So the kids are up for it. They’re excited and will play as hard as any game.”
