Eight Twin Harbors football teams will enter the final week of the regular season with playoff aspirations.
Montesano, Hoquiam, Pe Ell-Willapa Valley and Raymond are already assured of some type of postseason activity. Aberdeen, South Bend, Ocosta and Taholah can also advance with wins this week.
A league-by-league roundup:
Evergreen 2A Conference: Miscommunication between league administrators and coaches created the impression that the Bobcats had been eliminated from playoff contention. Aberdeen coach Kevin Ridout has confirmed, however, that the EvCo 2A Conference has four (instead of three, as previously believed) berths in next week’s district crossover playoffs. The winner of Friday’s Aberdeen at Centralia game will get the fourth and visit unbeaten Greater St. Helens champion Hockinson at district next weekend.
Evergreen 1A: Unbeaten Montesano has clinched the league’s top-seeded berth and a home game against the Trico No. 3 entry in next week’s district crossover playoffs. Hoquiam and Forks are the other two district qualifiers. Those two teams will play Friday at Olympic Stadium, with the winner earning a home game for the district playoffs.
SWW Coastal 2B: The winner of Friday’s Pe Ell-Willapa Valley at Raymond game will nab the league’s first of four district crossover berths. The top two seeds will host district contests.
The winner of Friday’s South Bend at Ocosta game will also earn a district berth.
A potential three-way tie for second looms if PWV beats Raymond, South Bend tops Ocosta and Ilwaco (currently tied for third) defeats North Beach. In that event, the district seeds will be determined by a coin flip.
Coastal 1B: Although Taholah has yet to win a contested game (it began the season late due to a shortage of eligible players), the small number of teams in this league affords the Chitwhins a postseason opportunity.
According to Taholah athletic director Karl Braden, the winner of Thursday’s State Deaf-Taholah game will advance to postseason play and host the No. 3 entry from District I-III in a quad-district contest on Halloween (Oct. 31).
