Thrall is Coast Radio's Athlete of the Week


Senior Kenneth Thrall has found himself in the middle of the action and the game's afterglow this season with the Vikings.

When Siuslaw kicks off Friday at North Bend, the Vikings want Kenneth Thrall to deliver bone-crushing tackles on defense and run over defenders on offense.

They also will be counting on his talented right foot for long punts, well-placed kickoffs, multiple extra-point kicks and, perhaps, a field goal or two.

Tuesday, all those skills helped Thrall collect Coast Radio's Athlete of the Week honor.

Thrall rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns, made a key interception and delivered on all four of his extra-point attempts in the Vikings' 28-7 victory last Friday over South Umpqua.

The win gave Siuslaw a 4-0 overall record, 1-0 in the Far West League. Friday, in North Bend, they'll test that record against the defending league-champion Bulldogs (2-2, 0-1). Kickoff is 7 p.m.

For the Siuslaw seniors, it could be their last chance to pin their first loss on North Bend.

"We've never beat 'em since I've been here," Thrall said. "It's definitely a rivalry game, and we just want to beat them in our last game."

Thrall has been handling kicking chores for the Vikings the past three seasons. He vividly recalls his first trip to North Bend in 2013.

"When we played them my sophomore year, there were thousands of fans, and it was loud," Thrall said. "I remember kicking off, and I couldn't hear the whistle. It's a really hostile environment."

Thrall is the fourth Viking senior football player in as many weeks to win the Coast Radio award, following wide receiver Scott Gordon in Week 1, linebacker Marshall Teter in Week 2 and quarterback Preston Mitchell in Week 3.

So far, 2015 has been a storybook season for Thrall, who should finish it by leaving his mark in the school record book as a kicker.

In three seasons, Thrall has made 96 of 109 PATs, a .881 percentage that would rank second behind Brazil exchange student Henrique Sotello.

In 2011, Sotello converted on 54 of 57 extra-point kicks, a .947 percentage that stands as both the single-season and career record at Siuslaw.

Thrall would move into second place in career percentage at his current rate, while he has a chance to surpass Sotello's single-season standard.

Thrall also delivered a 62-yard punt earlier this season, fourth-best on the Vikings' career list.

And he thinks he has the distance to challenge the school-record 40-yard field goal made by Chris Perkins in 2005.

"I was at that game, and I saw that kick," Thrall said. "I'd like the record."

But maybe not this weekend. Not against North Bend.

"I think maybe I'd rather get some TDs," he said.