With the non-league schedule for most Twin Harbor teams winding down, key league games are on the schedule for Week 5 games.
Elma at Hoquiam
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Olympic Stadium, Hoquiam
Players to watch: Hoquiam – Zander Jump QB/DB; Dominic Standstipher RB/LB; Trevor Turpin OL/DL; Chance LaBounty WR/DL. Elma – Carter Studer QB; Isaac Phillips FB/MLB; Isaac McGaffey WR/DB; Jacob Meadows WR/CB.
Last season, the Elma-Hoquiam showdown turned out to be the difference for the 1A Evergreen League’s final playoff spot. Looks as though that might be the case this season when the two teams face off in a league opener on Friday.
Elma (2-2 overall) is coming off a much-needed win over Columbia (White Salmon) that snapped a two-game skid despite being without senior starting quarterback Carter Studer, who was out with a minor injury.
Though no decision has been made at the time of this writing, Studer is probable to start under center on Friday. That will allow backup Isaac McGaffey to return to his spot at wide receiver, where the sophomore playmaker has been an offensive threat this season.
Hoquiam (1-3) is in the midst of its own two-game skid after suffering losses to unbeaten La Salle and 5th-ranked Nooksack Valley.
The Grizzlies are led by senior quarterback Zander Jump, who scored six touchdowns in Hoquiam’s 50-22 win over Fort Vancouver three weeks ago.
Shelton at Montesano
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Jack Rottle Field, Montesano
Players to watch: Shelton – Gabe Conklin QB. Montesano – Gabe Bodwell RB/DL; Cam Taylor OL/DL; Mason Rasmussen WR/LB; Tyler Johansen TE/DL.
Montesano plays in its first home game since the first week of the season when the Bulldogs host Shelton on Friday.
In its final non-league game of the regular season, Monte (4-0) faces a 1-3 Shelton team that has lost three straight and has allowed 101 points combined in its last two games.
The Highclimbers have scored no fewer than 23 points in each game of the losing streak, but will be facing a Bulldogs defense that has not allowed a team to score more than seven points in a game this season.
The third-ranked Bulldogs are without senior quarterback Jaxson Wilson, out with a broken collarbone suffered two weeks ago, and will slot in sophomore Tyson Perry as the starter for the second straight week.
It didn’t seem to matter much last week as Montesano crushed Castle Rock behind a rushing offense that racked up over 360 yards, 194 of those from senior running back Gabe Bodwell’s rushing performance.
Not much reason to expect Monte to drop a game against a sub-500 opponent, especially on the Bulldogs’ home turf, a notoriously difficult place to pick up a win for road teams.
Aberdeen at Black Hills
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Tumwater Stadium
Players to watch: Aberdeen – Grady Springer QB/DB; Aidan Watkins RB/LB; JaBron Brooks OL/DL; Paul Baltazar OL/DL. Black Hills – Jaxsen Beck QB; Maddox Hodge WR/DB; Max Whitehall OL/DL.
Coming off one of its biggest wins under head coach Todd Bridge, Aberdeen looks to move to 2-0 in the 2A Evergreen Conference against Black Hills on Friday.
In what is a proverbial “trap game” for the Bobcats (3-1), Aberdeen faces a winless Wolves team that hasn’t scored more than 14 points and has allowed more than 32 points per game, including a 48-8 loss to W.F. West last week.
Against Prosser, Aberdeen was more physical, made several big plays and limited penalties – an Achilles’ heel in its first three games – to hold off the talented and athletic Mustangs.
Aberdeen is also looking for its first win at Black Hills in 19 years, dating back to a 34-27 win in 2004.
After losing 10 straight to the Wolves, Aberdeen has won three of the last four against Black Hills, including two in a row.
A win for the Bobcats would be another step in securing a playoff spot outright, especially with favorites Tumwater and W.F. West still on the schedule.
Forks at Raymond-South Bend
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Millam Field, South Bend
Players to watch: RSB – Austin Snodgrass QB/LB; Ferrill Johnson RB/DB; Robby Stigall RB/LB. Forks – Bubba Hernandez QB; Gunner Rogers WR; Landin Davis RB.
Raymond-South Bend will face a true test when it hosts undefeated Forks on Friday in South Bend.
The Ravens offense has been up to its old tricks in winning three straight games, totalling 165 points in the span while eclipsing 60 points twice.
Sixth-ranked RSB has done it mostly on the ground, with speedsters Austin Snodgrass and Ferrill Johnson breaking big plays while racking up yardage.
Forks is 4-0 on the season and has not allowed more than 16 points in a game this season. The Spartans have shut out its last two opponents, beating Morton-White Pass and Ilwaco by a combined score of 81-0.
The game may hinge on if the Forks defense can slow the Ravens’ high-scoring offense and how well the RSB defense – which has allowed 30 points a game this season – does against a Spartans offense that has scored 40 points or more in three straight games.
Morton-White Pass at Pe Ell-Willapa Valley
When and where: 7 p.m. at Pe Ell High School
Players to watch: PWV – Nathan Fluke QB; Tyson Portmann RB/LB; Blake Howard RB/LB; Cody Strozyk TE/LB. MWP – Brecken Pelletier RB/LB; Judah Kelly QB/LB; Tony Belgiorno WR/DB.
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley had a bit of a reality check last week in a 60-14 loss to defending state-champion Napavine.
The Titans (3-1) dust themselves off to host a 1-3 Morton-White Pass team on Friday.
PWV, which surprisingly dropped out of the top 10 rankings after the loss to the juggernaut not-so-affectionately referred to in coaching circles as the “University of Napavine,” should have little problems with MWP, which broke 20 points for the first time this season in last week’s 56-20 loss to Rainier.
If PWV can wash away the taste of the blowout loss, it should be able to pick up its fourth win of the season.
Other games
North Beach at Ocosta – The Wildcats (1-2) hammered the Hyaks (0-3) 72-16 two weeks ago. The two teams will resume their 8-man rivalry at 7 p.m. Friday in Westport.
Mossyrock at Taholah – The Chitwhins (1-1) has played two close games this season and will look to do the same against Mossyrock (3-1), which has dominated its 8-man competition. Game is set for 7 p.m. Friday at Taholah High School.
Lake Quinault at Evergreen Lutheran (Tacoma) – The Elks (3-0) continue to be the class of 6-man football in Western Washington. They’ll put that statement to the test against Evergreen Lutheran at 5 p.m. on Saturday at Franklin Pierce High School
Wishkah Valley at Easton – Either the Loggers (0-3) or the Jaguars (0-2) will pick up its first win of the season in a 6-man game set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Easton High School.