The Siuslaw Vikings football team won by 42 points Friday, and it likely should have been worse.

Avenging back-to-back lopsided losses to Sutherlin, the Vikings finished the season at 3-3 with a 54-12 Senior Night thrashing of the Bulldogs at Hans Petersen Field.

It was the same field where the Bulldogs spoiled senior night in 2018 for the Vikings, winning 60-16. On their own Senior night a season later, the Bulldogs romped 56-18 at Sutherlin.

The Vikings would have none of it, with their biggest playmakers Friday night members of both the 2018 and 2019 teams.

Juniors Braydon Thornton and Camp Lacouture, on the varsity as freshmen in 2018, combined for 38 of those points. Thornton scored on touchdown runs of 8 and 55 yards and on TD receptions of 25 and 3 yards, while Lacouture scored on TD runs of 11 and 2 yards and two extra-point kicks.

Quarterback Elijah Blankenship, one of four seniors honored Friday night, connected on three touchdown passes, the two to Thornton and a 2-yarder to junior Isaac Garza.

Senior Skyler Loomis, who missed much of the 2019 season with an injury, contributed 6 points on three conversion runs.

The final quarter and a half was played in running time when the Vikings sprinted ahead by 35, at 47-12, with 6:36 left in the third quarter. A Blankenship bounce-pass to Thornton went 55 yards for a score and Loomis' third conversion run put Siuslaw up by the 35 points necessary to initiate running time.

Blankenship's TD pass to Garza and a Lacouture PAT were the final points, with 11:15 on the clock in the fourth quarter, and running.

The game ended on Blankenship in victory formation deep in Sutherlin territory.

The two teams traded TD drives to open the game, with the Vikings converting their points after for a 15-12 lead nine minutes into the game. Siuslaw added one more first-quarter TD for a 23-12 lead and then two more TDs in the second quarter for a 39-12 halftime lead.

Two Vikings touchdowns were nullified by penalties, one a long run by Thornton and the second on a Thornton TD pass to Lacouture.

Yes, it could have been worse. But none of the Vikings, especially the seniors, had room to complain.

NOTES

Sutherlin scored on its first two drives, but then the Vikings defense took over, big time ... The Bulldogs punted, turned the ball over on an interception by Siuslaw junior Beau Erickson and punted to close the first half, then turned the ball over on downs on all three of their second-half possessions. ...

Seniors honored included Elijah Blankenship, Skyler Loomis, Christian Newlan and Mike Shick. … Blankenship, Loomis and Newlan are all four-year letter winners, while Shick was a newcomer this season. …

The Bulldogs had 11 seniors on their roster, including three — quarterback Tehgan Pacini and runnings backs Dylan Smalley and Josh Davis — who were on the Sutherlin rosters for the 2018 and 2019 routs of the Vikings. …

Freshman Jane Lacouture, Camp's sister, sang the national anthem. … Jane will run with the Lady Vikings at the 4A state cross championships Saturday at Marist …

Randy Paredes was joined in the Coast Radio broadcast booth by Wayne Sharpe on Friday, with regular play-by-play announcer Bob Sneddon taking the night off. …

In an unofficial 3A title game Friday, Cascade Christian beat Santiam Christian, 13-10, at Cottage Grove ... 

THE SENIORS

Elijah Blankenship (No. 4) wants to be an electrician, and plans to pursue a business degree and further his athletic career at Southern Oregon University. His advice to teammates is to "embrace the suck, don't get your dobber down and iron sharpens iron. … I would like to thank (head coach) Sam (Johnson) for believing in me when no one else did, and for turning this program around." As for his teammates, he said "I would like to thank my brothers on this team for having my back and all the memories we made together. I am so thankful for the brotherhood we have created, and I am going to miss you all."

Skyler Loomis (No. 23) plans to pursue a business degree and further his athletics at Southern Oregon University. He thanks "all the coaching staff and his teammates for sticking with it through thick and thin," and he thanked his family "for always being supportive." His advice to teammates "is to play with confidence and give it your all."

Christian Newlan (No. 65) plans to attend Southwestern Oregon Community College, where he hopes to wrestle. "I would like to thank my coaches for being there for us through thick and thin. … I am a better person for what I've learned from them and going through adversity on the field. … I would like to thank my mom (Christine Newlan) for supporting me and encouraging me to keep pushing and stay positive."

Michael Shick (No. 60) wants to be a teacher and plans to attend Southern Oregon University, where he hopes to wrestle. Shick joined the Vikings as a senior. He "would like to first thank all of his coaches for allowing him to join this program and teaching him how to play this sport. ... Next, he'd like to thank his teammates for having his back and accepting him into the brotherhood."

Also honored was Adria Sandusky, the only senior on the Siuslaw cheerleading team. She wants to become a beekeeper, and plans to study agriculture and food business management at Oregon State.

SUTHERLIN    12    0     0    0    —   12
SIUSLAW        23   16    8    7    —   54
First quarter
Siuslaw — Camp Lacouture 11-yard run (Skyler Loomis run), 10:13
Sutherlin — Dylan Smalley 57-yard pass from Tehgan Pacini (pass failed), 8:04
Siuslaw — Braydon Thornton 25-yard pass from Elijah Blankenship (Camp Lacouture kick), 6:00
Sutherlin — Jeremiah Lepre 9-yard run (run failed), 2:54
Siuslaw — Camp Lacouture 2-yard run (Skyler Loomis run), 1:08
Second quarter
Siuslaw — Braydon Thornton 8-yard run (Elijah Blankenship run), 9:58
Siuslaw — Braydon Thornton 3-yard pass from Elijah Blankenship (Rhys Fleming pass from Blankenship), :43
Third quarter
Siuslaw — Braydon Thornton 55-yard run (Skyler Loomis run), 6:36
Fourth quarter
Siuslaw — Isaac Garza 2-yard pass from Elijah Blankenship (Camp Lacouture kick), 11:15

Individual (unofficial)
PASSING
Siuslaw: Elijah Blankenship 14-23-197-0, 3 TDs.
Sutherlin: Tehgan Pacini 3-8-69-1, 1 TD.
RUSHING
Siuslaw: Camp Lacouture 12-119, 2 TDs; Braydon Thornton 3-61, 2 TDs; Skyler Loomis 8-40; Elijah Blankenship 3-11.
Sutherlin: Jeremiah Lepre 14-84, 1 TD; Josh Davis 12-77; Dylan Smalley 6-26; Thomas Mentes 1-4; Waylon McKnight 1-minus 3; Tehgan Pacini 2-minus 16.
RECEIVING
Siuslaw: Braydon Thornton 7-91, 2 TDs; Rhys Fleming 2-44; Isaac Garza 3-38, 1 TD; Camp Lacouture 2-20.
Sutherlin: Dylan Smalley 1-57, 1 TD; Josh Davis 2-12.