With the preliminaries of preseason workouts drawing to a close, Twin Harbors football teams will tee it up for the first time in non-league action this weekend.

Montesano will visit Aberdeen in the featured Friday night attraction. Hoquiam and Elma will open on the road, with the Grizzlies traveling to Chehalis and the Eagles journeying to Eatonville.

Among Class 2B schools, Raymond is home against Napavine, South Bend visits Winlock, Ocosta is at Chief Leschi and North Beach hosts Rainier on Friday. All Friday kickoffs are scheduled for 7 p.m.

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley faces Adna at Willapa Valley’s Crogstad Field at 1 p.m. Saturday.

With schools on the final year of a two-year scheduling cycle, most of this week’s match-ups are rematches of last year’s season openers.

Montesano-Aberdeen

The Bulldogs have dominated this rivalry since it resumed a few years ago.

For the most part, the Bobcats have been more competitive than the final scores indicated, but have been unable to contain Montesano’s explosiveness.

In last year’s contest, for example, Aberdeen racked up 337 yards of total offense. But Monte running back Carson Klinger amassed more than 100 yards rushing in the first half alone as the Bulldogs cruised to a 54-20 triumph.

Bobcat coach Kevin Ridout’s focal points for this contest are far from surprising.

“Number one: Not give up big plays,” said Ridout, a longtime Montesano resident who was once a Bulldog assistant under former coach Steve Schultz. “We need to win the turnover war and we need to control the front line, offensively and defensively. And we need to know where their horses are, particularly Klinger and (Dakoyta) Reninger.”

Bulldog coach Terry Jensen also maintains a healthy respect for Aberdeen’s weapons, particularly senior running back Kylan Touch.

“I think this is Kevin’s best team since he’s been at Aberdeen,” Jensen observed. “Kylan is a special back, probably the best running back we will see on our schedule. He will make people miss, but he is also powerful enough to run over people.”

By design, the two teams did not meet in last Friday’s Grays Harbor Jamboree at Montesano. The Bulldogs won both their mini-games, while the Bobcats played to 7-7 ties with Hoquiam and Elma.

“It was a great evaluation tool,” Jensen said. “Obviously, we’re not a finished product, but we saw some good things overall and definitely things that need to get fixed.”

Ridout was pleased with the energy level his team brought to the jamboree (a quality Jensen also noted from the Bobcats). He said the Cats otherwise stuck to a pre-event script and made liberal use of reserves.

This will be the first of three intra-Harbor contests for the Bobcats, who visit Hoquiam on Sept. 8 and host Elma the following week.

Aberdeen, incidentally, has changed prices for home football games. Admission is now $6 for adults and $4 for students and seniors. Family per game tickets are $15.

Hoquiam-Chehalis

The Grizzlies stood toe-to-toe with the Class 2A Bearcats for the majority of last year’s opener. Chehalis, however, eventually wore down Hoquiam with a grinding running game, controlling the ball for the final 7 1/2 minutes of an eventual 21-12 triumph.

First-year HHS head coach Jeremy McMillan expects more of the same from the Bearcats on Friday.

“They’ll try to establish the run game and they’re deep, so that’s going to be an issue,” McMillan said. “We just have to minimize our mistakes. Our guys are going to have to play big on Friday.”

A traditional power in the Evergreen 2A Conference, Chehalis made its fourth consecutive state appearance last year and is rated high again this season.

Far less experienced than last year’s club, Hoquiam exhibited a few growing pains in the jamboree. McMillan, however, gave his club high marks for effort if not always execution.

The jamboree injury to sophomore back Garrett Dick, originally believed to a torn knee ligament, was eventually diagnosed as a broken bone in his leg. Dick is still expected to be sidelined for the season, according to McMillan.

Other games

Elma’s young Eagles will be attempting to reverse last year’s 35-8 loss to Eatonville. The Cruisers have a new head coach in former South Kitsap coach Gavin Kralik. Longtime Eatonville head man George Fairhart accepted the top job at Gig Harbor.

Already stung by extensive graduation losses, Raymond has the ominous assignment of opening against reigning state 2B champion Napavine on Friday.

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley figures to receive a tough opening week test from highly regarded Adna on Saturday afternoon.