Thurston High School - Yearling Yearbook (Springfield, OR)

Page 14 text:

Fall . . . found a new school year, with construction starting on the new auditorium . . . Cory Randall winning the state cross-country title . . . the varsity volley¬ ball team placing 4th at state to end an excellent season . . . Homecoming . . . the students at Thur¬ ston choosing Jimmy Carter in the mock election, while the rest of the country overwhelmingly chose Ronald Reagan.

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Colts leave lasting impression Fewer injuries and more lucky breaks could have made the difference between finishing in sixth place (out of 10) and achieving the team’s goal of a spot in the district playoffs. With an average line weight of 160 pounds, the Colts were considered small by AAA standards. Marshfield, for ex¬ ample, started linemen tipping the scales at 185-190 pounds. “It was a difference you always noticed,” recalled one line¬ man. But to watch the Colts in action was to believe they evenly matched their oppo¬ nents. “We could have won every game we played,” Coach Luckey said. “No one ever pushed us around.” For the coaches and the hundreds of Thurston fans that became particularly evident during the mid-season contest against the Sheldon Irish, reigning 5 AAA champions. Down 1 5-7 late in the 4th quarter, after an earlier field goal attempt had failed, quarterback Todd Alberts executed a “tremendous drive” from his 30-yard line deep into Irish ter¬ ritory. Precision completions to Steve Landrum, Marty Grant and Mike Le- Veque drove the Colts to the Irish 21- yard line. Alberts converted a crucial fourth-and-nine situation, and in the next series, Thurston took the ball across the Sheldon goal from 8 yards out. With 21 seconds to go, Albert went for a two- point conversion pass to tie the game, but the Irish defense intercepted. “His pass was right where it should have been, but so was Sheldons defensive back David Hinkle,” Coach Luckey said. However, the best remembered game was the one sugar-coated with victory. For the ninth straight year, the Colt’s beat the Springfield Millers in a contest that looked more like a mud bath than a football game. In the end the Colts stopped a strong Miller drive and ran the clock out to win 14-12. Quarterback Todd Alberts checks the side¬ lines before calling the final signals of the season in the Colt’s victory over the Millers. Linebacker Vergil Backes (right) blitzes through the line to sack Churchill’s quar¬ terback. Churchill’s defense (opposite page) can also sack, as Stuart Mathews discovers be¬ neath Churchill bruiser Bill Tarrow. 12 Varsity Football