Thurston has enjoyed the comforts of home their last two games, but now they'll head out on the road. They will square off against The Willamette Wolverines at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Thurston has been dominant on offense recently, as they've racked up an incredible 235 points over their last five matchups.
Last Friday, Thurston got themselves on the board against South Eugene, but South Eugene never followed suit. They took their matchup at home with ease, bagging a 42-0 win over the Axe. The result was nothing new for Thurston, who have now won five games by 20 points or more so far this season.
Thurston can attribute much of their success to Noah Blair, who threw for 186 yards and three touchdowns while completing 81.8% of his passes, and Ethan Burkhead, who gained 114 total yards and two touchdowns. Blair is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last five games he's played. Walker Bonar did his part to keep the secondary busy, picking up 117 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Meanwhile, this season hasn't been kind to Willamette, who are still winless after their seventh matchup. They were dealt a 54-0 defeat at the hands of Springfield on Friday. While losing is never fun, Willamette can't take it too hard given the team's big disadvantage in MaxPreps' Oregon football rankings (they are ranked 133rd, while Springfield is ranked 40th).
Thurston's victory bumped their season record to 5-2 while Willamette's defeat dropped theirs to 0-7.
Everything came up roses for Thurston against Willamette when the teams last played back in October of 2022 as the squad secured a 54-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for Thurston since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
