Fall football rolled around for the No. 17-ranked Thurston Colts (6-1, 3-0 League) as they took a short hop over to Springfield High School to take on the No. 21-ranked Springfield Millers (1-4, 1-2 League).
Late in the third quarter, the Millers had the ball around their own 15-yard line and were scrambling for quick scores late as they trailed 31-7. Senior quarterback Matias Gutierrez took the snap, dropped back and lofted a pass to the left sideline. Colts sophomore Bentlee Davenport noticed the air on the ball and used the opportunity to jump the route, intercept the ball, and take it to the house for the pick-six and the dagger. The extra point went through, and this would be the final scoring of the game as Thurston mauled Springfield 38-7.
“Turnovers are always special,” Thurston head coach Justin Starck said. “They get the kids excited, and they change the game quickly.”
Leading the way for the Colts offense was junior quarterback Emmit Distefano, who tossed two touchdowns, one of which opened the scoring early in the first quarter.
Thurston rolled into this matchup on fire as it has ripped off three straight wins, most recently defeating the Roseburg Indians 26-14 last Friday on Sept. 26.
Springfield stepped in feeling good as it stopped its three-game skid with a 35-34 victory against the North Eugene Highlanders on Sept. 26.
Just three minutes into the game, the Colts got on the board in big play fashion as Distefano dumped a screen off to sophomore wide receiver Bodie Bonar. He weaved through blockers, found the space, and turned on the jets as he zipped all the way to the endzone for the 50-yard touchdown.
The Millers wanted that home upset and responded immediately with a broken coverage 20-yard touchdown pass from Gutierrez. Sophomore wide receiver Jackson Rich reeled it in, and the extra point sailed through to knot it at seven.
That’s all Springfield would get, though, as this would begin a 31-point unanswered run from Thurston. Senior kicker Hunter Bagwell would ignite the run with a 25-yard field goal to give the Colts a 10-7 lead.
Distefano displayed his highlight of the night a few possessions later with a 42-yard bomb to Davenport late in the first half. This was redemption for Davenport, who had a touchdown called back due to a penalty earlier in the game. The extra point was true, and the Thurston lead was 10.
The storied Colts’ run game made their mark early in the second half as they found themselves within the 10-yard line. Junior running back Logan Raube then barreled his way into the endzone, and the extra point was good to make it 24-7. Usually, it’s star senior running back Justin Fisher that gets most of the touches in the run game, but the depth of the Thurston squad continued to show with Raube notching the score.
“Depth is vital, you need it,” Starck said. “It’s just such a tough position to play. They get beat up so much. Really impressed with all of those guys. Very impressed with what Quinten Fisher showed us. It’s the first opportunity he’s really had this year in a varsity game.”
The final offensive action for Thurston came late in the third and was produced by the run with a 10-yard dash from senior running back Cruz Gray. The extra point made it 31-7, and that was the dagger in the heart in the 2025 edition of the Thurston-Springfield rivalry.
Davenport’s pick tacked on one more to seal the 38-7 final and confirmed the fourth straight win for the Colts crew.
“Our defense is playing better,” Starck said. “Still has some holes, but we’re really playing well in the second half of games, making great adjustments. Emmit’s really settled in and playing better, and I think our run game just continues to improve.”
Domination has become the theme for Thurston in this rivalry. The Colts have one 11 straight matchups against the Millers dating back to 2015.
The Colts will look to extend their winning streak on senior night at home against the Crater Comets on Oct. 10 at 7:00 p.m.
“Just can’t wait to get to senior night,” Starck said. “Last home game of the regular season, and we get to play a team that was 3-1 going into tonight. I don't know where they’ll be tomorrow. I haven’t looked at the scores yet. I’m hopeful that they won last night and we’ll have a really good quality opponent coming into the farm there at Thurston.”
The Millers get an easier assignment next Friday against the winless South Eugene Axe, also on Oct. 10 at 7:00 p.m.