THURSTON – The Thurston Colts were able to find a last-minute opponent following an unexpected forfeit from its scheduled opponent – South Eugene – then went out and beat Class 4A powerhouse Henley 35-27 on Friday night.
South Eugene officials forfeited its matchup with Thurston due to a lack of healthy players. That left Justin Starck, Thurston’s athletic director and head football coach, scrambling to fill the schedule gap. Only one team in Oregon was available to play, the 4A Hornets from Klamath Falls – a three-plus hour drive.
Now with a whole new game to prepare for, Starck and the Colts quickly shifted their focus toward the upcoming matchup against Henley.
“Our gameplan wasn’t affected at all. We had a week to prepare, we knew they’re extremely good so we put a plan together,” Starck said.
The plan turned out to be an effective one, as Thurston ripped through Henley’s defense all night. Headlining the offense on Friday was standout junior receiver Bodie Bonar, who had two touchdowns and 72 yards receiving.
Alongside Bonar was running back Justin Fisher, who gave the Hornets fits all night on the ground and through the air – recording 124 rushing yards on 6.5 yards per carry and 83 yards receiving. Despite explosive performances from the skill positions, Starck’s focus postgame was on the offensive line and the run game.
“Our offensive line did a heck of a job. When we ran the football those guys were just horses out there, and they really carried us a long way,” Starck said. “Cruz (Gray) and Justin Fisher were admirable in how hard they ran the ball and made great decisions. The kids played with a lot of heart.”
The Colts defense took a little longer to come around. With 4:12 left in the game, Henley held possession and trailed by eight points.
The Hornets’ final drive started with a 23-yard pass from Joe Janney to Jullien Rayas. The Hornets had momentum – but that play was the final positive yardage of the game for Henley.
Thurston’s defense forced two incompletions leading to a Henley third down. Thurston sent heavy pressure and it paid off as Gray got to the quarterback within seconds for a sack. The Hornets threw an incompletion on 4th-and-18.
Colts find late replacement, edge Henley 35-27
