The Twin Harbors football schedule has shifted must-win and marquee matchups into this weekend with three possible league/division defining contests.
As noted in the main football preview, the Hoquiam-Montesano game is the largest of the three.
Just as important is the tilt between Pe Ell-Willapa Valley and Ilwaco, two undefeated Southwest Washington 2B Coastal Division teams who can control their own destiny after Friday.
On Saturday afternoon, the Coastal 1B League will have a bonafide leader when Naselle visits Ben Charley Field to take on Taholah. This is becoming one of the best eight-man football rivalries in Western Washington in just a few short years.
All three of them are pivotal, but all six teams are destined to be in district-to-state crossover games in November. With two more weeks in the season, this is a key week to establish clear roads to league titles — and postseason berths, too.
Also tucked into this weekend’s marquee matchups is a pivotal Evergreen 1A matchup: Elma takes on Tenino on the road, with the winner keeping its chance for the league’s third and final crossover berth. The Beavers lost to Forks, which also has a chance at the third postseason berth. That makes Friday’s game big for Elma and an elimination game for Tenino.
two more teams forfeit to Archbishop Murphy
The hits keep on coming for the Wildcats of Everett. Cedar Park Christian, a Class 1A team from Bothell in the 2A/1A Cascade Conference, elected to forfeit on Sunday night and Cedarcrest forfeited on Tuesday to became the fourth and fifth consecutive teams to forfeit to ATM this season.
The forfeit calls came early enough for the school to try and find an opponent for this weekend. The team would probably play anyone willing to step up and have a bye week at this point of the season, within reason.
The team has become a national story, getting exposure on ESPN, USA Today and the BBC over the forfeits. ATM head coach Jerry Jensen went on ESPN’s “Outside The Lines” to express his frustrations and call for more competitive balance in District 1 and throughout the state.
If the Wildcats end up on the sidelines again this week, they will know who they’ll play on Oct. 21 — Olympic of Bremerton, the final game of ATM’s regular season.
Unfortunately, with a bit of foresight and history from the Coastal 1B League basketball forfeits a couple of years back as a guide, ATM, District 1 and the WIAA will have to find a way to seed and place ATM into the district-to-state crossover games.
So, I believe we will have that to look forward to.
State Football Draws
The WIAA released its football draws for the 2016 state tournaments and the District IV teams will have an interesting trip this season.
In the 1A tournament, the district’s top seed will host the District III No. 2 and the District III No. 1 will host the district’s No. 3 seed. The Nisqually and Olympic leagues will crossover to determine the District III seeds. The Trico League has the honor of the No. 1 seed in District IV, with the Evergreen 1A League getting the bonus in 2017 and 2019.
This means the Evergreen champion will be the No. 2 seed, at best, if the Trico champion wins its crossover game.
Thus, the district No. 2 seed will hit the road over the Cascades to take on the District V No. 3 seed. The 15-school South Central Athletic Conference, which includes top-ranked Royal, will crossover within its ranks for the District V seeds. The Evergreen champion won’t get top-ranked Royal, but the prospect of getting Connell, Zillah, La Salle, Naches Valley or Granger in the opening round of the state tournament will make everyone pine for the RPI rankings.
In the 2B tournament, four of the six district berths from inside the Southwest Washington 2B League will face each other in the opening round. The district’s top seed will host the District V/VI No. 6 team (Central Washington League), while the district’s No. 6 team will travel to the District I top seed (Northwest 2B/1B League).
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Editor’s Note: Remember, these picks are for entertainment purposes only. They are not meant to be taken seriously, just as a conduit for one’s opinion on the games at hand. Have fun.
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Friday
Evergreen 2A Conference
Aberdeen Bobcats (0-2, 2-4) at (2) Tumwater Thunderbirds (1-0, 5-1) — This is the first meeting between Aberdeen and Tumwater since a District IV 2A crossover game at Tumwater Stadium in 2013. The Bobcats were the No. 3 team in the Greater St. Helens 2A League and the T-Birds won the Evergreen 2A title. The last time Aberdeen beat Tumwater was 1997, a 21-14 win at Stewart Field. … T-Birds 42, Bobcats 6.
Evergreen 1A League
(4) Montesano Bulldogs (1-0, 6-0) at Hoquiam Grizzlies (2-0, 4-2), Olympic Stadium — Let’s cut to the chase. The winner will clinch a crossover berth and will be the presumptive league champion. If Montesano can run all over Hoquiam, it’ll be the Bulldogs. If not, then it is the Grizzlies. … Bulldogs 35, Grizzlies 21.
Elma Eagles (0-1, 1-5) at Tenino Beavers (0-2, 4-2) — A win for either team will give it a shot for the third and final district crossover berth. Both teams have lost to Hoquiam, while Tenino has a loss to Forks. Defense will win this contest. … Eagles 28, Beavers 14.
Southwest Washington 2B Coastal Division
Ilwaco Fishermen (2-0, 4-2) at Pe Ell-Willapa Valley Titans (2-0, 4-2), Crogstad Field, Menlo — At the risk of sounding like a broken record, but this is a big game. Either team can pave a smooth road to the division title and a home crossover game, which is worth its weight in pigskin. … Titans 35, Fishermen 28.
North Beach Hyaks (1-1, 3-3) at South Bend Indians (0-2, 2-4), Millam Field — Healthy and wise from their schedule so far, the Hyaks can take a step up toward a home crossover game with the final two weeks of the season. The Indians need a win to keep their postseason hopes alive. … Hyaks 35, Indians 12.
Raymond Seagulls (1-1, 3-3) at Ocosta Wildcats (0-2, 2-3), Griffin Field — For the Gulls, take the same description for the Hyaks and insert their name there. For the Wildcats, same description for the Indians applies here. … Gulls 42, Wildcats 6.
Saturday
Coastal 1B League
Naselle Comets (2-0, 4-2) at Taholah Chitwhins (1-0, 2-2), Ben Charley Field — This is the biggest game of the season for both teams. A win secures a sure league title and an automatic state tournament berth as the district’s top-seeded team. Both teams, however, are postseason-bound, but where? … Chitwhins 42, Comets 40.
Rob Burns: (360) 537-3926; rburns@thedailyworld.com; Twitter: @RobRVR