North Bend running back Shawn Mitchell tries to go over the top to gain more yardage on a play in the second half Friday. The play set up one of the Bulldogs'€™ seven touchdowns against Newport. World Photo by Lou Sennick.

NORTH BEND - North Bend’s Three Musketeers struck again for one last time at Vic Adams Field.

On another misty fall night, the Bulldogs’ graduating trio of Kale Forrester, Shawn Mitchell and Lane Seals rushed for 110, 108 and 102 yards, respectively, while carrying No. 10 North Bend to a 48-6 win over Newport.

The 100-yard trifecta was a first for the three running backs and came on the same day they were named to the all-Far West League first-team offense. It also helped set the Bulldogs up for a pivotal quarterfinal matchup with top-ranked Sisters next week in the OSAA Class 4A state playoffs.

“We couldn’t be more ready for them,” Forrester said afterward. “This team, right now, we’re playing the best we have all season. This was the best game we’ve played since this senior class has been here.”

North Bend (8-3) racked up a staggering 412 yards in total offense while out-scoring the opposition by at least 30 points for the fourth consecutive game.

The Bulldogs’ defense forced five turnovers, including two that helped North Bend open up a 27-6 lead at the end of the second quarter.

“Whenever you go plus-five in turnovers, you’re going to win every time,” said North Bend’s eighth-year coach Bill Masei. “Tonight was one of the best games I’ve seen us play since I’ve been here. The kids played their hearts out tonight and to have our three running backs end with a game like that, it was pretty cool to see.”

Forrester, Mitchell and Seals combined for six rushing touchdowns, with Forrester — the fullback — scoring the final three on runs of 2, 49 and 26 yards.

“With the holes our line was making tonight, it was pretty easy for us to break loose,” Forrester said.

Mitchell found the end zone twice from 3 and 15 yards out. His first touchdown came on an 11-play opening drive in which he carried five times for 31 yards. Mitchell’s second score made it 14-6 and followed a hard-fought 56-yard touchdown run by Newport’s Levi Bellanger, who managed to outrush each of the North Bend backs.

 Bellanger tallied a game-high 124 yards on 12 carries, but could do little for the struggling Cubs after his first-quarter score.

“Our kids played hard tonight, and I am in no way disappointed with their effort,” Newport coach Kurt Hargett said. “We knew what we had to do to beat them, and we couldn’t do it. They just executed better — that was the difference.”

North Bend broke the game open early with two touchdowns in the final six minutes of the first half — both following turnovers. Steve Oman, a senior nickelback, set up the first when he picked off Newport quarterback Mark Moore at midfield.

Seals cashed in from 2 yards out four plays later, pushing the lead to 21-6 with 2:40 left in the second quarter.

“You have to protect the ball against a team like North Bend,” Hargett said. “Those turnovers killed us.”

Newport was in position to score again before halftime after driving to the Bulldogs’ 34-yard line. Momentum fell through, however, when the ball popped loose from Bellanger and into the arms of defensive lineman Elliot Adams.

“I looked up and just grabbed it like a rebound — hey, it’s almost basketball season,” said Adams, who’s also a starting post for North Bend. “We always want to create turnovers, because our offense is going to score points.”

And the Bulldogs did again three plays later — this time through the air.

With time winding down, North Bend quarterback Ethan Ottemiller took over and connected with Seals and Mitchell for first-down yardage, putting the Bulldogs at the Newport 32. Ottemiller’s next pass was the clincher, an arching 32-yard bomb to Luke Clark in the back of the end zone.

“I saw he was in single coverage, and their corner was a lot shorter than Luke, so I just threw it up for him, and he made a nice catch,” Ottemiller said. “That score kind of put things out of reach for them, I think.”

Ottemiller completed all four of his passes on the night to four different receivers. Each came in the first half for a total of 78 yards.

“Everything was working for us tonight,” Ottemiller added.

North Bend’s offense kept stride in the second half, with Forrester providing all the scoring. He pounded in from 2 yards out on the opening drive, then broke free for his 49-yard score after getting stopped at the line of scrimmage.

His final touchdown capped an eight-play drive with 7:20 left in the game.

“We finished strong tonight,” Forrester said. “We always try to keep the intensity going out there. It pushes us.”

Moore completed 6 of 15 passes for 49 yards and was intercepted again by Dalton Iveans in the final minute. Korey Karavanich and Cody Clark both had fumble recoveries for the Bulldogs, who ended the season with a 5-1 home record.

North Bend will play Sisters on the road Friday night.

“They’re a great football with a lot of speed,” Masei said. “We’re primed, I think, to give our best effort.”

Newport, the No. 2 seed from the Val-Co League, finished 5-6.