EUGENE – The electrified Thurston Colts entered Floyd Halvorsen Field on Friday looking to reclaim the Midwestern League and redeem themselves against the Churchill Lancers after their 32-13 loss at The Barn last season.
And after a physical first-half battle the Colts pulled away, persevering for a 27-16 victory over the league favorite.
“We just had to stay patient and wait for it to open up,” Thurston coach Justin Starck said. “We have good depth on our team, and we just need to not get frustrated and keep pounding away.”
That patience paid off, because in the first half, it wasn’t looking like there was a lot of opportunity for the Colts. It was a defensive stalemate, with both teams trading punts or failing to convert on fourth downs.
stadium in a “White Out”
BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
The Colts kept running it up the middle and eventually found success doing that, which was in contrast to the Lancers’ passing game.
“They’re a really good run team, too,” Starck said. “You get so focused on stopping their run sometimes, their passing gets behind you. We struggled at times with that. And so obviously we need to improve if we play a team like that again.”
The Colts were the team to finally get on the board – seconds before halftime – on a 30-yard pass from Emmit Distefano to Payton Ferreira. Hunter Bagwell added the extra point.
The Colts carried this momentum into the second half, when just moments after halftime, on 2nd-and-15, Distefano aimed a pass down the right sideline that hit paydirt – a 46-yard touchdown to Bodie Bonar.
The Colts saw success by chewing down the clock and making the runs in the middle. ALL PHOTOS BY BOB WILLIAMS
“We did have our passing moments,” Starck said. “We need to work on it and get more out of it. We’re getting some big plays out of the pass game, but we need more consistency.”
The Lancers answered that score with a touchdown and two-pointer just moments later. It started when Churchill’s Mikey Johnson intercepted Thurston at Churchill’s 16-yard line. After a 31-yard completion and a 29-yard run from the Lancers, Churchill’s Charlie Dexter caught a short pass and dove into the end zone. And with a successful two-pointer, they were on the board, trailing only 14-8.
However, Thurston used a ball-control running game to eat clock and drive to another score. The Colts finished the series in 13 plays for 70 yards when Cruz Gray rushed 28 yards to the end zone.
The No. 7 Colts are 6-0 in the Midwestern League standings. Starck said the Colts have set their sights on the North Eugene Highlanders next week.
BOB WILLIAMS / THE CHRONICLE
“We need to win the last one and wrap this thing up. We need to give North Eugene all of our attention, and they’re going to get it,” Starck said.
