Roseburg comes up short of upsetting No. 5 Thurston in 31-24 loss
The Roseburg football team came close to doing something no Midwestern League team has accomplished since 2017, but the No. 5-ranked Thurston Colts extended their league winning streak with a 31-24 win against the Indians on Friday night at Finlay Field.
Cruz Gray scampered 9 yards for a touchdown with 1:03 remaining in the fourth quarter to give the Colts the lead. Thurston shut down Roseburg’s ensuing drive to hang on for its 40th consecutive league victory.
Roseburg (2-2, 1-2 Special District 4) overcame an early 10-0 deficit and kept the game close all the way to the final horn. Senior Jacob Michael tied the score with a career-long 30-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter, giving the Indians hope of the upset.
Quarterback Corey Kimball had the Tribe driving for a go-ahead score midway through the final period, but exited the game with a shoulder injury after a first down run.
Luke Robbins finished the game under center, but the switch-up mid-course threw a wrench in Roseburg’s effectiveness.
“These are the hardest working boys I have ever been around,” Roseburg coach Matt Watson said. “I know that this game, it hurts and I know that it stings, but I’ll tell you what, the excitement is going to be that we know that this fuels them.”
Kimball has been the fuel for the Roseburg offense as of late. The junior had three rushing touchdowns against Thurston (5-0, 4-0), bringing his season total to seven.
He had a 22-yard keeper through the heart of the Colts’ defense to get Roseburg within 10-7 of Thurston in the second quarter. Kimball added a pair of 2-yard scoring runs to help the Indians build a 21-17 lead going to the break.
“He’s a tough guy and he’s itching to get right back out there,” Watson said about Kimball, who was seen icing his shoulder after the loss. “We’ll see how he feels after a nice relaxing weekend watching film.”
Thurston was led by quarterback Noah Blair, who returned from a one-game absence to throw for 231 yards and rush for 26. The senior had one passing touchdown and was picked off by Roseburg’s Drea Burwell in the second quarter to set up the Indians’ first score.
Senior running back Ashden Weiler led the Colts with 94 yards on the ground and one score.
“Our defense kept us in the game,” Watson said. Roseburg held Thurston below its 44.8 scoring average.
“There’s just a couple of possessions that we left on the field that we’ve got to punch in and that we have to finish. That’s our message going forward is, we’ve got to finish,” Watson added.
Roseburg won’t have long to contemplate the loss. The Indians will visit North Eugene for a 7 p.m. kickoff on Thursday.
“This feeling, it ain’t going to last long. We’re going to get back after it next week and I’m real proud of what our boys were able to do tonight,” Watson said.
Thurston 10 7 7 7 — 31
Roseburg 0 21 0 3 — 24
First Quarter
T — Zanotto 35 field goal
T — Jones recovers blocked punt in end zone (Zanotto kick)
Second Quarter
R — Kimball 22 run (Michael kick)
R — Kimball 2 run (Michael kick)
T — Newell 2 pass from Blair (Zanotto kick)
R — Kimball 2 run (Michael kick)
Third Quarter
T — Weiler 2 run (Zanotto kick)
Fourth Quarter
R — Michael 30 field goal
T — Gray 9 run (Zanotto kick)
