Thurston explodes for rivalry football win over Springfield

QuickTake:

The Colts dove into their playbook and four players threw passes as they took down previously undefeated Springfield.

This story has been updated with all of the scores from Friday, Sept. 25, games involving Lane County teams.

Even when it was close, Thurston football was having fun, and even in a “gritty” rivalry matchup, they found time to go back to the backyard for their big plays.

The Colts (3-1, 2-0 in league) opened their playbook as four different players threw passes — three for touchdowns — in their 47-22 rivalry win Friday, Sept. 25, over previously undefeated Springfield (3-1, 2-1). Using four different passers doesn’t mean that recent George Fox University commit Emmit Distefano’s job is in danger, head coach Justin Starck stressed; the Colts were just enjoying their victory.

“It’s just a gritty win,” Starck said. “It’s a rivalry game. It’s a lot of emotions, and we knew they were going to come out strong. … They’re going to be right there with every team they play the rest of the way, and we knew that, and we knew we’d take their best shot, and really felt like we endured that and took over the second half.”

Thurston’s Quinn Piquette intercepts a pass intended for Springfield’s Adam Hernandez during their cross-town rivalry game. Credit: Payton Bruni / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

Thurston scored on a pair of pick-sixes. In the first half, Quinn Piquette played center field under a pass from Springfield quarterback Brayden Wickersheim and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown. In the third quarter, sophomore Rocco Folino sealed the win at 34-14 with a 17-yard pick-six of Wickersheim as the Colts pulled away with 27 second-half points. Quintin Fisher ran for 108 yards on 12 carries as Thurston rode its running game into short-yardage second and third-down situations.

“It was just crazy,” Folino said of his interception. “I was just running my reads, and all of a sudden, the ball ended up right in my hands. I just took off with the ball, and there wasn’t much to do.”

Both sides scored off touchdown passes thrown by nonquarterbacks after Springfield’s Josiah Stroud heaved a flea-flicker from 35 yards out to Dakota Short to open the scoring in the first quarter. Thurston’s Brody Baker stepped up on a fake punt to toss to Ridge Lindsey in the second quarter.

“We’d been practicing that for two weeks, just waiting to be able to use it,” Piquette said of the receiver passes. “This week, we really stepped it up … we knew we were going to be able to use it, and finally got to connect.”

“That moment where they did that punt reception, it clicked, and I was like, ‘This is a fun game now,’” Piquette said.

In between those backyard-football touchdowns, the Colts dashed to a multiscore lead on the back of a Distefano (9 of 15 passing, 103 yards, TD, INT) rushing touchdown on fourth-and-goal from the 8-yard line and the Piquette 50-yard pick-six immediately following a Thurston missed field goal.

Three-star edge/tight end Leofatu Filipe made his impact on the other side of the ball, smothering drives and picking up a first-half sack of Wickersheim (19 of 28 passing, 233 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT). Springfield drew back within a score on the back of two long Wickersheim completions to Jackson Rich, capped by a Khamani James (nine rushes, 25 yards, TD) rushing touchdown from the 8-yard line.

Springfield defenders grab Thurston’s Zenon Orlinski during the rivalry matchup at Thurston High School in Springfield Sept. 25. Credit: Payton Bruni / Lookout Eugene-Springfield

But that was as close as the Millers got. On the other side of the halftime break, Distefano rolled to his left, flipped his hips and dropped a parabola into Bentlee Davenport’s arms to extend the lead to 28-15. Folino bagged his pick-six and sacked Wickersham on near back-to-back plays. Davenport threw a 38-yard double pass to Bodie Bonar, then caught one at short range from Distefano to extend the lead to 40-14.

“It was a lot of fun, because I grew up playing with them in first through seventh grade, and I know everyone on that team, and it was great just beating them,” Distefano said. Now, he said, the possible specter of losing his last rivalry game against Springfield is “not going to be something I go around town with for the rest of my life, because our coach was talking about that in the locker room, that this game is going to stick with us for the rest of our lives.”

Thurston backup quarterback Dean Knowles paired with 22 rushing yards from Kash Jensen to put the final Colts touchdown on the board after Springfield got a Rich (four catches, 86 yards, TD) 30-yard touchdown catch.

“It was a fun game,” Folino said. “I think it was the funnest one this season. It was close in the first half, but we got back in it and scored a whole bunch of points right at the end. That was the fun.”

Thurston plays at Crater next Friday, while Springfield hosts Churchill.