SPRINGFIELD, Ore. — Playoff football returned to Thurston for the first time since 2022, and the atmosphere made it clear how much it meant. The stands were packed, the student section loud, and a crisp 48-degree night gave it the perfect fall football feel.
Two weeks after closing out the conference slate with a dominant win at North Eugene, the 8–1 Colts, seeded fifth, hosted the 4–5 Bend Lava Bears, seeded 13th, in the opening round.
Bend came in with a run-heavy offense that had struggled through the air, managing only six passing touchdowns all season. Thurston entered with momentum after clinching the Midwestern League title and showcasing one of the area’s most balanced attacks.
In the final regular season game against North Eugene, Thurston’s biggest issues had been self-inflicted. Fumbles, penalties, and a handful of mental mistakes kept the Colts from delivering a truly clean performance. Head coach Justin Starck said after that game that those were the kinds of errors that could end a playoff run early. Coming into Friday night, the message was clear: if Thurston wanted to make a deep push, it had to play sharper football against stronger competition.
That message was tested almost immediately. On the opening drive of the game, Thurston went three-and-out, and a low punt snap rolled all the way back to the Colts’ 6-yard line. The early mistake set Bend up with prime field position, and the Lava Bears quickly turned it into three points, taking an early lead before it felt like the game had even started. Bend quieted the packed home crowd just minutes into the game.
But even with early mistakes, you can’t keep Thurston’s offense quiet for long.
On their second drive, the Colts marched down the field behind a rare offensive appearance from senior running back Cruz Gray. Gray, who has spent the season anchoring the defense at middle linebacker, was turned loose on offense for the postseason, something head coach Justin Starck had avoided during the regular season to keep him healthy. His powerful runs set the tone, but the drive stalled inside the red zone, and Thurston couldn’t convert on fourth-and-2 from the Bend 12-yard line. Another empty possession, but confidence was starting to build on the Colts’ sideline.
After a punt from each team in the cold night air, Bend landed the next punch. On third-and-3 from their own 31-yard line, quarterback Kaden Cooper dumped a short pass to wide receiver Max Duncan, and a blown coverage left him wide open. Duncan sprinted untouched deep into Thurston territory before finally being brought down at the 6-yard line. Two plays later, Cooper finished the drive himself with a quarterback sneak for the touchdown, extending the Lava Bears’ lead and stunning the home crowd.
That’s when the Thurston offense finally woke up. On the very first play of the next drive, from their own 32-yard line, quarterback Emmitt DiStefano dropped back and launched a deep ball to Bodie Bonar, the Colts’ top receiver all season. Bonar broke a tackle near midfield and strolled into the end zone as the crowd erupted into ecstasy. Just like that, Thurston was back in it.
Nobody trusts DiStefano to throw it deep more than head coach Starck.
"Just awesome, so proud of him, great kid, nobody deserves it more," Starck said when asked about his quarterback. "Our offense revolves around him, and our coaching staff really trusts him."
On the Lava Bears’ ensuing drive, Cooper’s pass was tipped at the line and intercepted by Payton Ferreira, giving Thurston the ball in Bend territory. Two plays later, on third-and-4, senior running back Justin Fisher delivered one of his most dazzling runs of the season. He bounced to the right edge, broke a tackle for the first down, then spotted an opening on the left side. With a quick cut and a burst of speed, Fisher completely flipped the field, weaving through defenders for a 42-yard touchdown. In a matter of minutes, the game had turned on its head.
To open the second half, Thurston refused to let off the gas. On Bend’s first drive out of the locker room, Hunter Bagwell jumped a route and picked off Cooper’s pass, setting the Colts up with great field position. Fisher quickly found the edge on a sweep to move the ball into goal-to-go territory, and on second-and-goal from the 8-yard line, DiStefano lofted a perfect floater to tight end Caleb Jones in the end zone. It was textbook Thurston football — efficient, balanced, and ruthless.
Bend wasn’t done fighting. On the ensuing drive, the Lava Bears put together a methodical, run-heavy march down the field that ended with a 31-yard touchdown by Tray Lawrence. Thurston then drove deep into Bend territory on the next possession but came up empty when a 19-yard field goal attempt hooked badly to the left. Instead of putting the game away, the Colts saw their lead shrink to just four points heading into the fourth quarter.
A tale as old as time — the Colts not closing out games they once controlled.
But just as old as that tale, the Colts rarely let a game slip out of hand. The defense found its stride and held Bend scoreless in the fourth quarter, including another interception, this one by Bentlee Davenport. Meanwhile, the offense put up two more touchdowns. A five-yard rush by DiStefano and an eight-yard strike to the back corner of the end zone to tight end Leofatu Filipe — sealing the 34-17 victory and an OSAA quarter final birth.
After the game, Starck was already looking ahead to next week.
"Everything, from protecting the quarterback to running the ball to the pass rush to the penalties, run defense," he said when asked what the Colts will work on. "We need to be better everywhere, and we will."
Even with a dominant win, Thurston is keeping its focus sharp as it prepares for the next round of the playoffs.
With 14th-seeded Churchill defeating fourth-seeded Lebanon, Thurston earned another home playoff game. The Colts will host Churchill on Friday, November 14th, in the next round as they look to keep their postseason run alive.