East County rivals each picked up wins on Friday while Lake Quinault extended its league winning streak as we review Twin Harbors prep football action for Week 6 of the 2023 season.

Montesano 36, Eatonville 0

Montesano’s defense was opportunistic in a 36-0 victory over Eatonville on Friday at Jack Rottle Field in Montesano.

The Bulldogs (6-0 overall, 1-0 1A Evergreen) forced seven turnovers and held Eatonville (3-3, 1-1) to 135 total yards of offense for a victory in the Bulldogs’ league-opener.

Monte took a 7-0 first-quarter lead on a 22-yard touchdown run from senior running back Gabe Bodwell.

Later in the frame, a promising Bulldogs drive faltered after three consecutive false-start penalties, leading to a 34-yard field goal from junior Felix Romero.

Montesano extended the lead just before halftime when junior linebacker Thomas Flink scooped up a fumble and returned it 31 yards for a 16-0 halftime lead.

The game remained close going into the fourth quarter as Monte’s offense was held scoreless with just one first down over the second and third quarters combined. Bode Poler’s 64-yard run on the final play of the third quarter was the only first down the Bulldogs offense mustered in the middle frames.

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano senior defensive back Bode Poler, left, intercepts a pass during a 36-0 victory over Eatonville on Friday in Montesano.

“We had a hard time adjusting to their speed,” Monte head coach Terry Jensen said of the Cruisers’ defense. “And we shot ourselves in the foot with penalties.”

With the final outcome still in doubt, Montesano made the clutch plays in the final stanza.

Bodwell scored on touchdown runs of 15 and five yards to take a 29-0 lead with seven minutes left in the game.

Monte put the icing on the proverbial cake when sophomore quarterback Tyson Perry hit sophomore running back Toren Crites with a 39-yard touchdown pass with 5:19 left on the clock.

Montesano had 12 penalties in the game – 10 of those coming in the first quarter – and had 314 total yards of offense, 233 on the ground.

“We knew that would be the best defense we’ve faced so far,” Jensen said. “They were everything we thought they would be. They gave us some problems and we’ll look at the film and try to make corrections and go from there.”

The Bulldogs defense was the star of the show, recording seven interceptions – two each from defensive back Bode Poler and Crites – with two picks in the fourth quarter.

Montesano sophomore defensive back Terek Gunter also had an interception while junior linebacker Gabe Pyhala had a fumble recovery in addition to Flink.

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano’s Terek Gunter, middle, returns an interception during a 36-0 victory over Eatonville on Friday in Montesano. The Bulldogs would intercept the Cruisers five times in the game.

“I can’t say enough about our defense,” Jensen said. “Right now, defensively, we’re playing really fast. We’re attacking and teams so far have had a hard time with our team speed and our ability to run. … We’ve got a lot of speed there right now and it’s paying benefits for us. … When you can get seven turnovers in a game, (the defense) is carrying you quite a bit.”

Montesano hosts Hoquiam at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Eatonville 0 0 0 0 – 0

Montesano 9 7 0 20 – 36

Scoring

First quarter

M – Bodwell 22 run (kick fail), 4:16

M – Romero 34 field goal, 0:28

Second quarter

M – Flink 31 fumble recovery (Romero kick), 0:33

Third quarter

None

Fourth quarter

M – Bodwell 15 run (Romero kick), 10:19

M – Bodwell 5 run (Romero kick), 7:00

M – Crites 39 pass from Perry (Romero kick), 5:19

Passing leaders: E – Klumpar 18-31-2-110, Fowler 2-8-2-10, Clevenger 1-0-1-0. M – Perry 6-11-0-81.

Rushing leaders: E – Hanly 14-119, Porter 5-14, Henley 3-7. M – Bodwell 13-91, Poler 3-80, Perry 5-(-2).

Receiving leaders: M – T. Crites 2-64, 2-0.

Elma 41, Black Hills 35

Down big early, Elma rallied to beat Black Hills 41-35 in a non-league game on Friday in Tumwater.

The Eagles (4-2) fell behind 14-0 by the end of the first quarter and 21-0 in the second frame.

Compounding matters for Elma was a game filled with penalties after the head referee was ambulanced off the field due to complaints of chest pains, leaving a four-man crew to officiate the game.

Elma co-head coach Casey Doyle said the turnaround started by his team adjusting its mental state when the game seemed to be slipping away in the first half.

“It was an interesting evening with the refs,” he said. “We do a thing called, ‘The Beautiful Day Drill,’ where you clear your mind and kind of let the bad juju leave and refresh. That was about the time our kids started to figure some stuff out. … Things started to click.”

Elma’s comeback began with a 16-play, 83-yard drive capped by a 7-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Carter Studer to senior wide receiver Jackson Schneider.

On the Wolves’ following drive, junior Blaize Salazar dislodged the ball from Black Hills running back Jacob Weller with a hard hit. Elma’s Bo Muller recovered the fumble at the Eagles 36-yard line.

A few plays later, Studer hit Schneider for a 61-yard touchdown. Running back Isaac Phillips converted the two-point conversion as Elma vaulted itself back into the game.

Black Hills (0-6) responded when quarterback Jaxsen Beck hit Maddox Hodge for a 34-yard touchdown to take a 28-14 lead into halftime.

In the third quarter, Elma scored on a 2-yard run by Muller followed by a Studer 1-yard touchdown run. Eagles kicker Matthew Wood’s extra point tied the game at 28-all.

Phillips broke loose for a 15-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for Elma’s first lead of the game at 35-28 in the fourth quarter.

After the Eagles defense forced its third turnover on downs of the second half, Elma took a 41-28 lead on an 8-yard TD run by senior running back Kale Reeves.

Jack Ellison caught a Beck pass for a 5-yard touchdown to pull Black Hills to within a touchdown at 41-35.

But Elma’s offense picked up three first downs on its next drive, allowing the Eagles to kill the clock and secure the victory.

“We started off pretty slow, missing some open receivers and some blocks. We decided to start playing and things started to click. We started pumping on all cylinders and it was fun to be a part of,” Doyle said. “We just kept clawing our way back. We just fought and fought and our kids played with so much heart. It was just an amazing effort tonight and just a great comeback win to be a part of.”

Elma had 374 yards of offense and 27 first downs.

Studer went 22-for-39 for 229 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

Schneider finished with nine catches for 130 yards and a touchdown while Meadows caught four passes for 52 yards and a score.

Elma resumes league play against Tenino at 7 p.m. Friday in Elma.

Elma 0 14 14 13 – 41

Black Hills 14 14 0 7 – 35

Scoring

First quarter

BH – Weller 12 run (Mills kick)

BH – Ellison 3 run (Mills kick)

Second quarter

BH – Hodge 10 pass from Beck (Mills kick)

E – Meadows 7 pass from Studer (PAT fail)

E – Schneider 61 pass from Studer (Phillips run)

BH – Hodge 34 pass from Beck (Mills kick)

Third quarter

E – Muller 2 run (Wood good)

E – Studer 1 run (Wood kick)

Fourth quarter

E – Phillips 15 run (Wood kick)

E – Reeves 8 run (Wood kick)

E – Reeves 8 run (PAT fail)

BH – Ellison 5 pass from Beck (Mills kick)

Passing leaders: E – Studer 22-39-0-229, Muller 1-1-0-32. BH – Beck 18-24-0-206.

Rushing leaders: E – Reeves 9-55, Studer 11-25, Muller 8-18, Phillips 2-16, Schneider 1-9. BH – Weller 12-92, Ellison 7-31, Heck 1-16, Estrada 1-0, Beck 1-(-3).

Receiving leaders: E – Schneider 9-130, Meadows 4-52, Muller 2-29, Wright 3-23, Reeves 2-15, Phillips 1-5, Brookins 1-4, McGaffey 1-3. BH – Hodge 7-81, Alexander 1-43, Lester 3-30, Ellison 4-29, Estrada 2-24, Bonds 1-8.

JARED WENZELBURGER | THE CHRONICLE Pe Ell-Willapa Valley’s Lucas Lusk (24) attempts to escape the tackle of Toledo’s Larry Anderson (77) during the Titans’ 27-24 loss Friday at Ted Hippi Field in Toledo.

Toledo 27, Pe Ell-Willapa Valley 24

A Pe Ell-Willapa Valley rally fell short in a 27-24 non-league loss to Toledo on Friday at Toledo High School.

The Titans (4-2) faced a 27-0 hole at halftime compounded by an injury to starting senior running back Tyson Portmann, who left the game early in the first quarter with an injured ankle and did not return.

PWV responded in the second half with a touchdown run by senior running back Blake Howard in the third quarter and a 15-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Nathan Fluke to Cody Strozyk in the fourth quarter. The two-point conversion cut the Toledo lead to 27-16 with 7:45 left in the game.

Later in the quarter, junior linebacker Kannyon Clements returned a Toledo fumble eight yards for a touchdown, with the subsequent two-point conversion putting PWV to within a field goal at 27-24 with 4:41 remaining.

The Titans defense held, giving the offense the ball at the 40-yard line. But a fumble on PWV’s first play of the possession was recovered by Toledo, which held on to hand the Titans a bitter defeat.

“We had all the momentum in the world, then it just kind of shifted,” PWV head coach Nate Smith said. “We got tight there in the end, it just kind of backfired on us there.”

Smith acknowledged his team came off the bus “horribly flat,” but responded well after a halftime chat.

“There were a couple of things that got away from us in the first half,” he said. “In the second half, the kids showed grit and played great. … It was tough to see them lose that game after they came back so far.”

PWV hosts Raymond-South Bend in a homecoming game at 7 p.m. Friday at Crogstad Field in Menlo.

PWV 0 0 8 16 – 24

Toledo 14 13 0 0 – 27

Scoring

First quarter

T – Rodriguez 38 run (kick good), 7:55

T – Carver 6 run (kick good), 3:26

Second quarter

T – Swofford 9 pass from Weeks (kick good), 2:15

T – Carver 53 pass from Weeks (kick failed), 0:12

Third quarter

PWV – Howard 1 run (Strozyk run), 1::57

Fourth quarter

PWV – Strozyk 15 pass from Fluke (Ruddell pass from Fluke), 7:45

PWV – Clements 8 fumble return (Ruddell pass from Fluke), 4:41

Passing leaders: PWV – Fluke 8-15-1-106. T – Weeks 5-12-0-111.

Rushing leaders: PWV – Howard 17-62, Strozyk 5-13. T – Carver 7-136.

Receiving leaders: PWV – Strozyk 5-41, King 2-36, Portmann 1-30. T – Carver 1-53, Langhaim 1-22.

Rainier 82, Ocosta 52

Ocosta couldn’t overcome a second-quarter surge from Rainier in an 82-52 loss on Friday in Rainier.

The Wildcats (2-3, 2-2 2B Central Lower East-West) led 14-8 after one quarter but fell behind by halftime after Rainier (4-2, 4-0) scored 32 straight points in the second quarter.

Ocosta senior Aiden Davis ran for 225 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns and made 4-of-6 extra points.

Wildcats quarterback Tarren Lewis was 8-for-16 for 347 yards and five touchdowns, with receiver Andrew Martin catching six balls for 306 yards and four touchdowns.

Ocosta’s Ronin Rutzer also hauled in a touchdown pass from Lewis.

Lewis rushed for 64 yards and scored a rushing touchdown.

Ocosta’s offensive line – which controlled the line of scrimmage in the second half – was led by Matthew Wyland, Bryan Ceja and Shaheed Lewis.

Ocosta sits two games behind first-place Rainier in the 2B Central Lower East-West League (8-man) and will host Ilwaco at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Lake Quinault 54, Wishkah Valley 19

Lake Quinault ran its regular-season winning streak to 13 games with a 54-19 win over Wishkah Valley on Saturday at Lake Quinault High School.

The Elks (5-0, 3-0 1B Coastal 6-man) started hot when junior running back Agustin Hermosillo scored on a 50-yard run on the first play from scrimmage.

Hermosillo finished with three rushing touchdowns as did fellow senior Daniel Ceja-Ortiz.

Lake Quinault fullback Zach Leavitt scored on a 2-yard touchdown run while senior center Jake Taylor caught a touchdown pass from quarterback Luis Farias, who was back under center after returning from injury.

“I’m very happy about the win. They played hard through the heat and didn’t give up,” Elks head coach Melvyn Houtz said. “I really like the way our offense ran this week. Everyone got a chance and it was well-balanced. They keyed so much on Agustin it opened up our offense more and we were able to do some other stuff.”

Wishkah Valley (1-4, 0-3) was led by junior Matthew Erickson, who had 112 receiving yards in his first game at tight end and had two fumble recoveries – one returned for a touchdown – and 5.5 tackles on defense.

Aiden Wiedenmann rushed for 95 yard and two scores while sophomore Boady Dhooghe led the Loggers defense with 10 tackles – a team high – two sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

“We really thought we would do better in the game, but injuries and illnesses have really taken their toll on us this year and we had several people playing new positions today,” Wishkah head coach Eric Erickson said.

Lake Quinault takes on Northwest Christian at 8 p.m. on Friday at Black Hills High School.

Wishkah hosts Evergreen Lutheran at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

Other scores

Tenino 51, Hoquiam 13

Taholah 18, Sound Christian 6

Toutle Lake 38, North Beach 30 (Thursday)