The Bend Lava Bears are taking a road trip to challenge the Thurston Colts at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Bend has given up an average of 30.3 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Bend is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to 35 points two weeks ago, they were much more limited against Mountain View on Friday. They were beaten by the Cougars 40-7. The Lava Bears have struggled against the Cougars recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost matchup.
Meanwhile, Thurston entered their tilt with North Eugene two weeks ago with six consecutive wins but they'll enter their next game with seven. They were the clear victors by a 26-6 margin over the Highlanders. Considering the Colts have won five contests by more than 19 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Thurston's win came from a few key players Bend will need to keep an eye on. One of the most notable was Justin Fisher, who rushed for 132 yards and one TD on only 15 carries. That's the most rushing yards he has posted since back in August. Thurston also got a significant boost from Quintin Fisher, who ran away from the competition to the tune of 88 yards.
Thurston didn't let much get past them through the air: they limited North Eugene to a completion percentage of just 31.6%. The Colts have been improving in that area: they had allowed a completion percentage of 0.64 earlier this season, but they've only allowed one of 0.64 in their last three games.
Thurston's defense didn't let D'Mariyae Ireland, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Caleb Jones, Parker Edwards, and Leofatu Filipe, who each picked up one sack apiece. Thurston received some extra help from Filipe, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Bend now has a losing record of 4-5. As for Thurston, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
