Aberdeen and Montesano face key league opponents as we review Twin Harbors prep football games for Week 6 of the 2023 season.
Tumwater at Aberdeen
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Stewart Field, Aberdeen
Players to watch: Aberdeen – Grady Springer QB/DB; Aidan Watkins RB/LB; JaBron Brooks OL/DL; Paul Baltazar OL/DL. Tumwater – Ethan Kastner QB; Kooper Clark RB; Jaylin Nixon RB.
Aberdeen is coming off two of its most memorable victories in recent memory, and if the Bobcats are to continue that hot streak, they’ll have to overcome the 2A class measuring stick in Tumwater.
Aberdeen (4-1 overall, 1-0 2A Evergreen) beat then top-10 Prosser followed by a hard-fought league win over Black Hills last week, winning a game at Tumwater Stadium for the first time in two decades.
The Bobcats have done so by playing a hard-hitting, physical brand of defense and limiting penalties that plagued them through the first three games of the season.
That will have to continue and then some if the Cats are to upset Tumwater (5-0, 1-0), which is ranked No. 4 in the latest scorebooklive.com poll and is coming off a 55-20 spanking of perennial league No. 2, W.F. West.
In that game, The Thunderbirds rushed for 342 yards using a variety of ball carriers, with five different rushers scoring a touchdown.
Aberdeen has managed to score one touchdown against Tumwater in their last five matchups and suffered a 35-3 loss last season, which was the fewest points a Bobcats team has allowed to the T-Birds since 2009.
It’s a monumental task ahead of the Bobcats, but if Tumwater is the barometer for 2A programs, it’s a minor victory if Aberdeen keeps it close.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano running back Gabe Bodwell, seen here in a file photo, will lead the Bulldogs when they take on Eatonville in a key league matchup on Friday in Montesano.
Eatonville at Montesano
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Jack Rottle Field, Montesano
Players to watch: Montesano – Gabe Bodwell RB/DL; Cam Taylor OL/DL; Mason Rasmussen WR/LB; Tyler Johansen TE/DL. Eatonville – Hunter Klumpar QB; Max Henley RB; Ky Nation WR.
Montesano has rolled through its opposition this season and if the Bulldogs are to claim their first league title in three seasons, they’ll have to get through the Cruisers.
Monte (5-0, 1-0 1A Evergreen) hasn’t skipped a beat after starting quarterback Jaxson Wilson went down with a broken collarbone a few weeks ago as the Bulldogs continue to play at a high level in all facets of the game.
That was evident last week in what head coach Terry Jensen said was his team’s “most complete game” this season, scoring in a variety of ways while rushing for over 265 yards in a 55-0 drubbing over 2A Shelton.
Eatonville, which has been one of the Bulldogs’ chief competitors for the 1A Evergreen title since joining the league two seasons ago, has had a bit of a topsy-turvy season through the first half of the season.
The Cruisers (3-2, 1-0) haven’t looked competitive in losses to Olympic and Cascade Christian but are coming off back-to-back wins over Bellevue Christian and league-foe Tenino.
Eatonville racked up over 300 yards of offense against a winless and undersized Tenino team, with quarterback Hunter Klumpar passing for 196 yards.
Monte looks every bit the part of a state semifinalist, and with former league powers Tenino and Eatonville on the decline, the Bulldogs are the clear favorites to claim a league crown in 2023.
They’ll have to get past Eatonville first.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam running back Dominic Standstipher, seen here in a file photo, and his Grizzlies teammates face winless Tenino on Friday.
Hoquiam at Tenino
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Tenino High School
Players to watch: Zander Jump QB/DB; Dominic Standstipher RB/LB; Trevor Turpin OL/DL; Chance LaBounty WR/DL. Tenino – Cody Strawn QB; Mikey Vassar RB; Austin Gonia RB.
If Hoquiam is to snap its three-game losing streak and climb into the race for a league playoff spot it will have to take advantage of a winless Tenino team on Friday.
Hoquiam (1-4, 0-1) is coming off three straight blowout losses as injuries to upperclassmen have piled up, leading to six sophomore starting on the Grizzlies defense.
It’s shown up on the field in the form of opponent points, as La Salle, Nooksack Valley and Elma have combined to score 172 points on the Grizzlies over the past three games.
Hoquiam had a positive first drive resulting in a Dominic Standstipher rushing touchdown against Elma last week, but that was it as the Grizzlies rarely sniffed the Eagles red zone the rest of the way in a 41-7 loss.
Tenino (0-5, 0-1) hasn’t won a game after being competitive with Montesano and Eatonville the previous two seasons. Combined with its entire coaching staff resigning ahead of the season has led to the Beavers’ 0-5 start.
But under new head coach Darren Tinnerstet, the Beavers no longer “play the game in a phone booth” on offense, running the more trendy run-pass option offense incorporated by so many teams in this day and age.
PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Elma quarterback Carter Studer, seen here in a file photo, will lead the Eagles when they face Black Hills on Friday in Tumwater.
Elma at Black Hills
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Tumwater Stadium
Players to watch: Elma – Carter Studer QB; Isaac Phillips FB/MLB; Isaac McGaffey WR/DB; Jacob Meadows WR/CB. Black Hills – Jaxsen Beck QB; Maddox Hodge WR/DB; Max Whitehall OL/DL.
Sometime early in the second quarter of last week’s 41-7 victory over Hoquiam, something clicked for Elma and it all came together.
The Eagles hope to keep that momentum when they face Black Hills in a non-league game on Friday in Tumwater.
Elma’s offense looked sharp through three quarters against the Grizzlies, with senior quarterback Carter Studer looking poised and confident in passing for 225 yards and three touchdowns.
The Eagles defense also impressed by hitting hard and was bolstered by the play of senior linebacker Traden Carter, making his debut as an Eagle.
Against Black Hills, Elma faces a team coming off a close loss to Aberdeen at home last week. The Wolves (0-5) like to throw the ball, with quarterback Jaxsen Beck completing 22-of-33 passes for 230 yards.
Black Hills’ record is deceptive as though the Wolves are winless this season, their losses are to unbeaten Montesano, 3A North Thurston, Rochester (4-1), 2A power W.F. West and the aforementioned Aberdeen (4-1).
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley at Toledo
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Toledo High School
Players to watch: PWV – Nathan Fluke QB; Tyson Portmann RB/LB; Blake Howard RB/LB; Cody Strozyk TE/LB. Toledo – Eli Weeks QB; Cole Langhaim WR; Trevin Gale WR.
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley responded well after a loss to No. 1 Napavine two weeks ago, rushing for over 300 yards as a team in a 54-22 win over Morton-White Pass on Friday.
The Titans (4-1) face a tough test in fifth-ranked Toledo (4-1).
The Riverhawks are coming off their first loss of the season against No. 3 Onalaska 20-0 on Friday, after four straight victories to start the season, including a 42-35 upset over Raymond-South Bend to open the season.
Toledo is led by quarterback Eli Weeks who was held to just 89 yards passing in last week’s loss, one in which untimely penalties often killed Riverhawks momentum.
PWV will be tested with its league schedule, as will all teams in the brutal 2B Central-North.
After Toledo, the Titans face Raymond-South Bend, Forks and Onalaska, which are a combined 13-2 on the season.
Other games
Raymond-South Bend at Neah Bay – Cancelled.
Toutle Lake at North Beach – The Hyaks (0-4) will look to avenge a 28-26 loss earlier this season when they face the Ducks (2-3) at 7 p.m. Thursday in Ocean Shores.
Ocosta at Rainier – The Wildcats (2-2) face a team other than North Beach or Naselle for the first time this season when they face Rainier (3-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Rainier High School.
Wishkah Valley at Lake Quinault – The Elks (4-0) looks to continue its 12-game league winning streak when they host the Loggers (1-3) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Lake Quinault High School.
Taholah at Sound Christian – Taholah (1-2), which forfeited last week’s game against Mossyrock, is scheduled to face Sound Christian (0-5) at 6 p.m. Saturday at Clover Park High School.
