By Jerry Ulmer
OSAAtoday

Siuslaw used a comeback for the ages to finish the regular season unbeaten for the first time since 2011 and clinch the outright title in the 3A Special District 2 North division Friday night.

The Vikings (8-0, 5-0) trailed at No. 9 Junction City 40-14 late in the third quarter before rallying to win 41-40. Senior Beau Erickson threw two touchdown passes to senior Braydon Thornton and ran for two scores as the Vikings scored 27 points in a span of 8:33.

"I had three or four seniors come over to me when we were down 40-14, and they said, 'Just keep trusting us, we're going to win this thing. Don't give up, don't run the ball, just trust us,'" Siuslaw coach Sam Johnson said.

"When those kids said that, that was all I needed to hear, that we've got to keep slinging the ball, we've got to keep fighting. If we were going to go down, we were going to go down on our terms, swinging."

Erickson got the rally started with a five-yard touchdown run with 1:38 left in the third quarter, then hit Thornton with a 22-yard touchdown pass to draw Siuslaw within 40-26 with 9:14 remaining in the game.

Erickson's four-yard touchdown run and Camp Lacouture's two-point conversion run with 7:03 left made it 40-34. Erickson hit Thornton with a 23-yard scoring pass, and Lacouture kicked the extra point, to put the Vikings up 41-40 with 5:05 on the clock.

"Being down 26 points, with this group of kids, no lead is safe," Johnson said. "For them to battle and come out on top, it's a great feeling."

Erickson overcame playing with a swollen passing hand after injuring it on a helmet in practice. He started slow, floating passes early, but came through when it mattered.

"The adrenaline was going, and he felt confident," Johnson said. "He's the cog that makes us go, for sure. Without him throwing the ball, we're very one-dimensional."

Thornton's two touchdown catches give him 17 for the season. He also returned a kickoff 80 yards for a score.

Siuslaw's comeback overshadowed a strong performance by Junction City's Gabriel Ward, who ran for six touchdowns.