Dominant second half extends Thurston’s win streak over Springfield

Seniors on Thurston High School’s football team were in the second grade the last time the Colts lost to crosstown rival Springfield.

And the Class of 2026 made sure that didn’t change Friday, Oct. 3, as a 21-0 second half secured a 38-7 victory for a 10^th straight win for the Colts over the Millers.

“We talked about it in the locker room at halftime,” Thurston’s senior center/defensive end Jordan Barr said. “We didn’t want to end the streak, and we didn’t plan on it, so we came out at half and really gave it our all.”

The Colts remained in first place in the Midwestern League, moving to 4-0 and 6-1 overall.

The Millers fell to 1-2 in league play and 1-4 overall.

“It’s just a good quality win, and the rivalry’s always there,” Thurston’s longtime head coach Justin Starck said.

“The kids had a lot of fun and were proud of their effort, and we’re proud of them.”

Springfield’s last win in the series was a 55-29 victory at Thurston, Sept. 11, 2015, but for most of the first half Friday, it looked like the Millers might end the streak.

“We looked like a playoff team for 20 minutes,” Springfield head coach Frank Geske said of what was a 7-7 game with less than five minutes left in the first half. “We flew around, hit hard, executed, and then …

“You’ve got to give it to them,” Geske said of the Colts. “They had a couple of guys we just couldn’t compete with. That’s what it came down to, and they broke it open with them and that’s all it took.”

It didn’t take Thurston long to get on the scoreboard as a couple of juniors, quarterback Emmit Distefano and wideout Bodie Bonar, hooked up for a 77-yard touchdown pass on the Colts’ second play from scrimmage.

Senior Hunter Bagwell connected on the point-after-touchdown to make it 7-0 Colts with 9:29 left in the first quarter.

“I caught the ball, then the two people that were next to me had great blocks, and then I just made some good moves and ran it into the end zone,” said Bonar, who caught Distefano’s quick screen to the right sideline around the line of scrimmage before sprinting ahead of the entire Millers’ defense.

But Springfield came right back, driving to the Colts’ 23-yard line. 

On a fourth-and-2, junior quarterback Brayden Wickersteim hit a wide-open Jackson Rich with a nice, lofting pass on the left side. Brady Lo’Ser’s kick made it 7-7 with 5:22 left in the first quarter.

Thurston took a 10-7 lead with 4:07 left in the second quarter on a 28-yard field goal by Bagwell.

The Colts mounted another drive just before halftime, Distefano hitting junior wideout Brody Baker on a 24-yard catch-and-run to the Millers’ 43-yard line.

Two plays later, Distefano hit sophomore wideout Bentlee Davenport on a 40-yard touchdown pass, Bagwell’s PAT making it 17-7 with 1:03 left.

“Emmit did a nice job,” Starck said. “He’s managing us well and just continuing to grow and get better.”

The Colts weren’t all that worried at halftime, Bagwell said. 

“We’re always better in the second half,” said the senior, who was 5-for-5 on PATs to go along with his field goal.

True to Bagwell’s word, it took the Colts less than two minutes to score in the third quarter, junior running back Logan Raube running in the touchdown from 4 yards out with 10:02 left in the quarter after Thurston quickly drove downfield on the first possession of the half.

A 20-yard run by Raube to the Millers’ 5-yard line set up a third-and-goal from the 3 as senior Cruz Gray scored right up the middle for a 31-7 lead after Bagwell’s kick with 5:29 left in the quarter.

The Millers couldn’t get anything going in the second half, punting one possession after another against Thurston’s tough defense. 

The final score of the game came on a pick-six by Davenport with 1:47 left in the third quarter. The Millers were inside their own 10-yard line when Davenport picked off Wickersheim’s pass on the 20 and had nothing but green turf in front of him.

“I saw the out (pattern) and got the pick-six,” said Davenport of his first two-touchdown game for the Colts.

Starck was proud of the sophomore, he said.

“That pick-6 was really exciting,” Starck said. “We’re starting to see some real signs from him. He was a standout on the freshman team last year, and he’s carrying it over.”

The Colts got to play two sophomore quarterbacks in the fourth quarter, Dean Knowles and Chase Maddox, who both performed well in the scoreless quarter, making sure the Colts maintained their 31-point lead.

“It was a little rough in the first half,” Davenport said. “Our offense wasn’t warmed up yet. We weren’t there yet. But we came back in the second half and really showed them what we can do.”

The Millers play at South Eugene (0-5), Friday, Oct. 10, while Thurston hosts Crater (3-0, 4-1), a 37-36 winner over Churchill, Oct. 3. Thurston and Crater are the last two unbeaten teams in league play.