QuickTake:

The Colts rallied from a 10-point deficit to defeat Bend in a first-round playoff game. Next up for Thurston: A quarterfinal match against crosstown rival Churchill.

The Thurston Colts defeated the visiting Bend Lava Bears 34-17 Friday, Nov. 7, to claim a first-round win in the 5A Oregon football championship — and to set up a quarterfinal game next Friday against crosstown rival Churchill.

Thurston (10-1), the No. 5 seed in the 16-team tournament, shook off a slow offensive start and numerous penalties to put away the No. 12 Lava Bears (4-6) in the fourth quarter with a pair of interceptions.

“Some of those (penalties) are procedural,” said Thurston head coach Justin Starck, calling the penalties unacceptable. “We’ve got to fix those. It’s super-irritating and aggravating. We thought we had all of that addressed.” 

The Colts received the ball to open the game. But a messy first drive, including a sack of senior quarterback Emmit Distefano and a fumbled snap on a failed field goal attempt, quickly gave the ball back to Bend. 

Lava Bears kicker Jack Burger hit a field goal to give Bend a 3-0 lead. And Bend converted a quarterback sneak by Kaden Cooper for a touchdown to claim a 10-0 lead in the second quarter.

With its season hanging in the balance, Thurston answered immediately with a 75-yard touchdown pass from Distefano to Bodie Bonar, narrowing the gap to 10-7 with 6:23 left in the half. 

“It felt great to get the offense going,” Bonar said after the game. “Especially because that was the first touchdown and we didn’t have much, so it felt great.” 

A 42-yard rushing touchdown by Justin Fisher gave Thurston a 14-10 halftime lead. 

Thurston’s Hunter Bagwell intercepted a Bend pass in the third quarter, setting up a 17-yard touchdown strike from Distefano to Caleb Jones to boost the Colts’ lead to 21-10.

Bend bounced back, with freshman Trey Lawrence scoring on a 28-yard rushing touchdown.

But Distafano scored on a 5-yard rushing touchdown with about six minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Colts put the game out of reach after a Bentlee Davenport interception set up an 8-yard TD pass from Distefano to Leofatu Felipe with about three minutes to play to wrap up the scoring.

“We’re not a finished product; we’re just trying to get better every week,” said Starck.

The Colts will next face off against Eugene’s Churchill in a quarterfinal game next Friday, Nov. 14. The Lancers scored a big road upset Friday, knocking off No. 4 Lebanon, 21-8.

Other playoff games

Willamette 42, Mountainside 20

The No. 4 Wolverines opened a 36-point lead in the third quarter as they coasted to a lopsided first-round victory Friday over No. 13 Mountainside. Next up for undefeated Willamette (10-0): A quarterfinal Nov. 14 game against No. 5 Central Catholic, 8-2.

Churchill 21, Lebanon 8

In what could be the biggest upset of the first round, the visiting Lancers knocked off No. 4 Lebanon, 21-8. The win means No. 13 Churchill (7-3) advances to a quarterfinal game Nov. 14 against Thurston (10-1).

Junction City 31, Stayton 21

Playing at home, No, 8 Junction City posted a 31-21 win over Stayton in the first round of the 4A playoffs. The Tigers, now 7-3, have to hit the road Nov. 14 for a quarterfinal match at Scio against No. 1 Cascade, 10-0.

Estacada 42, Marist Catholic 22

No. 6 Estacada took care of business at home, claiming a 42-22 win over No. 11 Marist in the first round of the 4A playoffs. The Spartans finish their season with a 4-6 record.

Cascade Christian 68, Pleasant Hill 0

The No. 16 Billies quickly learned why undefeated Cascade Christian is the state’s top-ranked 3A team. Playing at Crater High School, Pleasant Hill became the fifth team this season to be blanked by the Challengers in a 68-0 romp in Friday’s first playoff round. The Billies finish their season with a 7-3 record.

Gervais 48, Siuslaw 28

No. 12 Gervais traveled to No. 5 Siuslaw and upset the Vikings, 48-28, in the first round of the 3A playoffs. The Vikings finish their season with a 7-3 record.

Lowell 34, Oakland 14

Playing at Pleasant Hill High School, the No. 8 Devils rolled to a 34-14 win over Oakland in the first round of the 2A playoffs. Lowell, now 9-1 overall, will play the winner of Saturday’s game between No. 1 Heppner and No. 16 Nestucca in a quarterfinal game Saturday, Nov. 15.

 

Isabella Barillas is a journalism student at the University of Oregon with a minor in computer information and technology. She is particularly interested in covering medicine, public health and wellness.