Over the past few seasons, the rivalry between the Thurston and Churchill football programs has been a chess match of sorts.

This year's showdown wasn't as much a strategic back-and-forth as it was a bare-knuckle brawl at the line of scrimmage between two squads with plenty at stake.

In the end, the Thurston Colts won out — and, in the process, took a commanding lead in the Midwestern League title race.

Class 5A No. 10 Thurston beat No. 8 Churchill, 27-16, at Floyd Halvorsen Field on Friday, Oct. 17. The Colts are 7-1 on the year, 6-0 in league play and, with one regular-season game to go, closing in on a conference championship.

"We were just throwing body blows like crazy, both teams," Thurston coach Justin Starck said. "Finally, we broke through."

The win meant a little extra for

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