Dropping to 0-2 in league at this point of the season typically means you’re on the outside looking in at a playoff spot.

That’s the situation facing several Twin Harbors prep football teams entering Week 6 of the 2024 season.

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Hoquiam at Montesano

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Jack Rottle Field, Montesano

Players to watch: Montesano – Terek Gunter RB/LB, Toren Crites RB/DB, Kyle Caton OL/DL, Shaun Straka OL/DL. Hoquiam – Joey Bozich QB/LB, Winston Kaikaka RB/LB, Kingston Case RB/FS, Ethan Byron REC/LB.

For all intents and purposes, this is Montesano’s game to lose.

The Bulldogs (3-2 overall, 1-0 1A Evergreen) appear to be on the right track after impressive wins over Napavine and Tenino over the past two weeks.

But the Bulldogs aren’t quite in playoff form as evidenced by three first half turnovers in last week’s win over the Beavers and a slow start against the Tigers one week prior.

Friday will also be Montesano’s homecoming, which brings added distractions and pressure for the Bulldogs to perform well in front of what is expected to be a large home crowd.

Those factors, combined with Hoquiam (2-3) winning two of its past three games – including a 14-13 squeaker last week at Toutle Lake – has Monte head coach Terry Jensen concerned his team doesn’t overlook the younger Grizzlies.

“We’ve got all of the distractions of (homecoming). We’ve got to make sure we’re focused and doing our job when it’s time to practice football,” he said.

Some good news for Montesano is all-state punter Felix Romero is expected to make his season debut after suffering a knee injury in the summer, but the Bulldogs might not need his booming right foot after averaging 40.1 points per game during their current three-game winning streak.

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Hoquiam quarterback Joey Bozich and the Grizzlies will take on Montesano on Friday in Montesano.

Hoquiam’s two wins have come against 2B-class teams Raymond-South Bend and Toutle Lake sandwiched around a Myrtle Street Rivalry loss to Aberdeen two weeks ago.

When the Grizzlies are good, they’ve been able to move the ball on the ground via hard-nosed running back Kingston Case, which has opened up options for quarterback Joey Bozich.

But Hoquiam will be facing a different animal in a Bulldogs defensive front led by linemen Shaun Straka and Kyle Caton that held its last two opponents to a combined 56 rushing yards in the second half.

Montesano is 12-3 against Hoquiam dating back to 2010, including winning their past six meetings.

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DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Aberdeen receiver Adonis Hammonds and the Bobcats face 2A Evergreen Conference rival Centralia on Saturday in Centralia.

Aberdeen at Centralia

When and where: 5 p.m. Saturday at Tiger Stadium, Centralia

Players to watch: Aberdeen – Micah Schroeder RB/LB, Mason Hill QB/S, Legend Vessey RB/LB, Adonis Hammonds WR/DB. Centralia – Terrell Sanders QB, Kellen Rooklidge RB, David Daarud OL/DL.

It doesn’t matter the time, the location, or where the two teams currently stand in the rankings, when Aberdeen and Centralia meet on the gridiron, there is bad blood.

While this matchup isn’t as ballyhooed as Aberdeen’s Myrtle Street Rivalry with Hoquiam or Centralia’s annual Swamp Cup game against W.F. West, it is a long-running matchup between two bitter league foes that simply don’t like one another.

The game against Centralia is Aberdeen’s second-longest rivalry game against any team aside from Hoquiam, with the Bobcats and Tigers are set to face off for the 79th time on Saturday.

Aberdeen (1-4, 0-1) has dominated recently, winning its previous seven meetings against the Tigers (0-5, 0-1) and Bobcats head coach Todd Bridge feels is team can continue that streak come game time.

“We fully expect to face a scrappy Tigers football team on Saturday. They have nothing to lose and are in survival mode. Looking at their schedule, it’s quite likely that their viewpoint is we are their last likely chance at getting a victory for the season,” he said. “We just need to take care of the football, make the little things very important, tackle people and block people better than we have previously this season.”

Luckily for the Bobcats, they are relatively injury free coming off a loss against a physical W.F. West team last week, and despite being 1-4 with a young team this season, Aberdeen still has much to play for.

The decision came down last week from district officials that the 2A EvCo No. 3 team will host the Greater St. Helen’s League No. 5 team in a crossover game at the end of the regular season.

Having not hosted a postseason game since 1997, the Bobcats are chomping at the bit to be that team.

“A victory for us on Saturday night would put us in the driver seat for that third and final district spot from our league. … That’s pretty exciting for us and definitely a goal,” Bridge said. “I think 27 years is enough.”

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PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Elma running back Traden Carter (left) and quarterback Isaac McGaffey will look to snap a three-game losing streak when the Eagles take on Tenino on Friday in Elma.

Tenino at Elma

When and Where: 7 p.m. Friday at Davis Field, Elma

Players to watch: Tenino – Mason Metcalf QB, Michael Vassar RB, Austin Gonia WR. Elma – Isaac McGaffey QB/S, Ethan Camus WR/DB, Colby Rademacher RB/LB; Blaize Salazar RB/DB.

Elma is in dire need for a win.

The Eagles (2-3, 0-1 1A Evergreen) have dropped three straight games after starting the season 2-0 and will have a tough test against Tenino (3-2, 0-1) on Friday in Elma.

After opening the season with wins over Centralia and Stevenson, the Eagles are reeling after falling flat against higher-quality opponents Sequim, King’s and in last week’s league opener to Rochester.

The Eagles offense scored 60 points over its first two games, leading quarterback Isaac McGaffey to a WIAA Athlete of the Week honor in Week 2.

Since then, turnovers and mistakes have proven costly for the Eagles during the current losing streak.

Elma’s defense struggled to slow down King’s and Rochester, losing by a combined score of 90-15, including last week’s 43-0 drubbing at the hands of the Warriors.

Tenino (3-2, 0-1) is also coming off a league loss to No. 8 Montesano, and it’s a safe bet that both teams understand the impact of Friday’s game.

With three 1A Evergreen League teams ranked in the WIAA RPI top 20 – Elma not being one of them – avoiding an 0-2 start in league play can go a long way for either team to secure a playoff spot in the top-heavy league.

Elma has continued to show signs of what they could be with McGaffey and his arsenal of speedsters on the offensive side of the ball.

But Elma will need to clean up the mistakes and find some of that previous offensive success if the Eagles are to beat a Tenino team favored to win.

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Pe Ell-Willapa Valley at Ilwaco

When and where: 2 p.m. Saturday at Ilwaco High School

Players to watch: PWV – Nathan Fluke QB/S, Cody Strozyk RB/MLB, Blaine King WR/DB, Cody Mican RB/DB. Ilwaco – Dylan Pelas QB/SS, Corbin Johnson FB, Cody Kaino RB/CB.

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley has seemingly turned a corner after facing a challenge that could’ve derailed the season.

Former head coach Nate Smith unexpectedly stepped down two weeks ago due to personal reasons and the Titans have responded in the best way possible with two straight wins under interim head coach Josh Seymour.

PWV (3-2, 1-0 2B Central-West), the 10th-ranked team in the latest AP poll, walloped Raymond-South Bend in convincing fashion last week, scoring 47 points in the first half while racking up 597 total yards of offense.

Seymour and company will need every bit of that magic this week against an Ilwaco team ranked No. 12 in the WIAA RPI rankings.

But that ranking could be deceiving as the Fishermen (4-1, 1-1) had four wins against teams with a combined 7-14 record until a defeat against Forks last week spoiled their perfect record.

With key league games against Forks, Napavine and Adna on the horizon, a Titans win on Friday can go a long way toward securing a playoff spot in an always brutal-league that is tough to come out of unscathed.

PWV has the horses to do it, as quarterback Nathan Fluke and offensive weapons Cody Strozyk, Blaine King and Cody Mican have flourished the past two weeks under Seymour.

If they can continue the offensive effectiveness as well as continued improvement on defense, the Titans could find themselves at 2-0 in league heading into the final third of the season.

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DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Raymond-South Bend quarterback Chris Quintana (4) and the Ravens face Napavine on Friday in South Bend.

Napavine at Raymond-South Bend

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Millam Field, South Bend

Players to watch: RSB – Chris Quintana QB/DB, Chris Banker RB/LB, Isaac Schlueter RB/LB. Napavine – Grady Wilson QB, Caleb Von Pressentin RB, Cayle Kelly RB.

Raymond-South Bend may have to wait another week to turn around its season as the Ravens draw the 2B powerhouse not-so-affectionately known by opposing head coaches as the “University of Napavine.”

The Tigers (3-2, 2-0 2B Central-West) – No. 3 in the latest AP poll – may have taken a step back from the form that saw them win two-straight state championships before finishing as the runner-up last season, but one step back for Napavine means it’s still one of the more formidable teams in the class.

Napavine’s record is highly deceptive. The Tigers’ two losses are to unbeaten 1A Life Christian Academy (35-28) and to No. 10 Montesano (35-19), two teams looking like 1A state-playoff participants.

Against a tough Adna team last week, Napavine overcame a slow start en route to a 27-13 win.

The young Ravens have showed signs of what could be in the near future, but they’ll have to show a competitive edge that’s been absent in a four-game losing streak, including a 47-7 loss to Adna two weeks ago.

RSB may need to look for moral victories in this one, specifically showing some fight for four quarters, something head coach Luke Abbott said his team didn’t do in last week’s 53-14 loss to Pe Ell-Willapa Valley.

Ravens quarterback Chris Quintana and running backs Isaac Schlueter and Chris Banker will have to have career-best games if RSB has a chance at a monumental upset.

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Other games

Wahkiakum at North Beach – The Hyaks (1-4, 0-4 1B SWW 8-man) look to end a four-game losing streak when they host the Mules (2-3, 2-2) at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Ocosta at Taholah – In a key 1B Southwest Washington 8-man battle, fourth-place Ocosta (3-2, 3-2 1B SWW 8-man) takes on third-place Taholah (2-1, 2-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Taholah High School.

Wishkah Valley at Lake Quinault – The Elks (0-3, 0-2 1B Coastal 6-man) expect to have a full 16 players available for the first time this season when they take on the up-and-coming Loggers (2-0, 1-0) at noon on Saturday in Amanda Park.