Colts hope to continue climb.

Byline: PREP FOOTBALL By Steve Mims The Register-Guard

Tonight marks new territory for these Thurston Colts.

"This is what it's all about," Thurston coach Justin Starck said. "This is when it's fun, so let's line it up."

The No. 2 Colts (10-0) host No. 3 Sherwood (10-1) in a Class 5A football quarterfinal game tonight at 7.

Thurston is in the playoffs for the fifth year in a row, but none of the current players or coach have been this far in the postseason. The Colts' last quarterfinal appearance was an overtime win over Gresham in 1995 when Don Stone was the coach.

It is a different story for Sherwood, which reached the quarterfinals three years in a row from 2004-06 and went on to the state final in two of those seasons. After being shutout in its playoff opener against Mountain View last season, the Bowmen are back in the quarterfinals with a 10-game winning streak.

"We're starting to play well on both sides of the ball," Sherwood coach Greg Lawrence said. "I feel like we're peaking at the right time."

The playoffs continue around the state tonight.

In the 6A playoffs, 10th-ranked Sheldon (7-4) travels to No. 1 Lake Oswego (10-0) in a rematch similar to last season when the Irish defeated the top-ranked Lakers 28-27 in overtime on their way to the state championship.

Sheldon is coming off playoff victories against Tigard and Westview, the latter a 33-30 win when the Irish fell behind 8-0 in the opening minutes before rallying to win in the fourth quarter.

"Our big players have really stepped up when they had to and maybe that is a sign we are becoming more consistent," Sheldon coach Marty Johnson said.

Marist and North Bend face the top two teams from the Cowapa League in the 4A playoffs tonight. The third-ranked Spartans (9-2) visit No. 6 Banks (9-2), and 10th-ranked North Bend (9-2) visits No. 2 Astoria (11-0).

The 3A semifinals are Saturday, when No. 1 Gold Beach plays No. 4 Regis at 2:30 p.m. at Cottage Grove High School.