As baseball legend Yogi Berra might say, it is deja vu all over again for Montesano’s football team.
The Bulldogs (11-2) will face Royal (13-0) for the state 1A title at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Tacoma Dome.
This will represent Monte’s first title-game appearance in football since 1994. Royal was also Montesano’s opponent on that occasion, with the Bulldogs coming from behind for a 27-21 victory at the now-defunct Kingdome in Seattle.
Current Monte assistant coach Ryan Wilson played on the last state title team, with assistant coaches Brian Hollatz, Curt Crites and Jeff Klinger on the staffs of both Bulldog clubs.
To add to the irony, Brent Whitaker — Montesano’s head coach in 1994 — is now a member of the Royal coaching staff.
Advance tickets to Saturday’s game are being sold throughout the week at the Montesano High School office.
All six state championship games will be played this weekend, with two on Friday and four on Saturday, at the Tacoma Dome. The Gridiron Classic lineup:
Friday
4 p.m. — Morton/White Pass vs. Lind-Ritzville/Sprague (Class 2B). 7:30 p.m. — Bellevue vs. Eastside Catholic (Class 3A).
Saturday
10 a.m. — Montesano vs. Royal (Class 1A). 1 p.m. — Tumwater vs. Lynden (Class 2A). 4 p.m. — Neah Bay vs. Liberty Christian (Class 1B). 7:30 p.m. — Skyline vs. Bellarmine Prep (Class 4A).
