Big second half pushes Thurston to rivalry win over Springfield in key Midwestern League matchup

“We were mentally tough and didn’t give in to adversity.”

No. 8 Thurston took a big step toward winning a sixth consecutive Midwestern League title by rallying to beat No. 6 Springfield 34-13. 

The Colts defeated their crosstown rivals for the eighth consecutive meeting, overcoming a 7-6 halftime deficit with 28 consecutive points, taking advantage of three fourth-quarter turnovers to put the game away.

Junior quarterback Noah Blair had a big night, throwing four touchdown passes and running for a fifth score.

“Our mindset was good tonight,” Colts coach Justin Starck said. “We were mentally tough and didn’t give in to adversity. Our conditioning was also good, and we were able to plug away in the second half. We knew we were going to come through.”

The Colts started the season 0-2, with losses to both of last year’s 5A finalists, Wilsonville and Summit. Starck said that experience allowed his players to see the level of play they needed to reach. 

“We weren’t up to that task then, but now they’re striving toward it,” he said. “I’m happy with our progress. We’re a young team, and we’ve been improving gradually.”

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Photos by Leon Neuschwander