With two weeks left in the regular season, playoff seeds are at stake for several Twin Harbors prep football teams this weekend.
Montesano at Tenino
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Tenino High School
Players to watch: Montesano – Gabe Bodwell RB/DL; Cam Taylor OL/DL; Toren Crites RB/DB; Mason Rasmussen WR/LB. Tenino – Cody Strawn QB; Mikey Vassar RB; Austin Gonia REC.
Montesano’s journey toward reclaiming its spot as the 1A Evergreen League’s premiere football program continues on Friday against the Tenino Beavers.
Monte (7-0, 2-0 1A Evergreen) has been dominant this season, led mostly by a defense that has allowed no more than seven points in any game this season and has shut out its last three opponents.
Tenino (2-5, 2-1) is coming off two straight wins after starting the season 0-5 and currently sits in second place in the league standings.
This game is filled with intrigue in more ways than one.
At the conclusion of last season’s 38-23 Tenino victory, several Beavers players and students danced at midfield of Montesano’s Jack Rottle Field while Bulldogs coaches and players were in the midst of their post-game meeting, causing former Tenino head coach Cary Nagel to apologize to the Bulldogs.
That situation is likely on the minds of some Monte players entering Friday’s game, but as disciplined and professional as head coach Terry Jensen and his staff run the Bulldogs program, Monte is likely to respond with its play rather than resort to any off-field, low-brow antics.
THE CHRONICLE Aberdeen’s Aidan Watkins, seen here in a file photo from Oct. 13, will join his Bobcats teammates when they host W.F. West in a battle for second place on Friday.
W.F. West at Aberdeen
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Stewart Field, Aberdeen
Players to watch: W.F. West – Gage Brumfield QB; Declan McDonald RB. Aberdeen – Grady Springer QB/DB; Aidan Watkins RB/LB; Micah Schroeder RB/LB; Paul Baltazar OL/DL.
To understand the impact of this game for both teams, one needs to look no further than the league standings.
Aberdeen (5-2 overall, 3-1 2A Evergreen) and W.F. West (4-3, 3-1) will be playing for the league’s second and third playoff spots when they meet up on Friday.
The Bobcats come into the game on the heels of a key victory over Rochester that locked up a league playoff spot. The question now for Aberdeen is what spot will that be?
The Bobcats are a little banged up, with some starters questionable for Friday’s showdown.
Aberdeen has been led by a rushing attack that has gained over 1,300 yards on the ground this season and a defense that has held its opponents to 10 points or less in four of its five wins.
That could change against the 2A Evergreen Conference defending champions, which are led by dynamic quarterback Gage Brumfield, who passed for 97 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 138 yards in a 26-8 win over 3A class Prairie last week.
Elma at Eatonville
When and where: 7 p.m. Thursday at Eatonville High School
Players to watch: Elma – Carter Studer QB; Isaac Phillips FB/MLB; Isaac McGaffey WR/DB; Jacob Meadows WR/CB. Eatonville – Hunter Klumpar QB; Max Henley RB; Ky Nation WR.
If Elma is to have a chance at a top playoff spot in the 1A Evergreen, Friday’s game at Eatonville is a must-win.
The wet weather wreaked havoc on the Eagles’ shotgun passing attack in a loss to Tenino last week, but a forecast of 72 degrees and sunny skies should mean the field conditions should cooperate.
That’s good news for the Eagles (4-3, 1-1 1A Evergreen) as when senior quarterback Carter Studer has more than 225 passing yards in a game, Elma typically wins.
The Eagles are tied with Eatonville (3-4, 1-1) for third place in the league standings, meaning a victory puts Elma in good position to finish in one of the top two spots in the 1A Evergreen depending on how other league games play out.
After beating Tenino on Sept. 30, Eatonville has two straight losses, falling to Montesano 36-0 two weeks ago and in a non-league game to Orting 24-12 last week.
Centralia at Hoquiam
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Olympic Stadium, Hoquiam
Players to watch: Hoquiam – Zander Jump QB/DB; Dominic Standstipher RB/LB; Trevor Turpin OL/DL; Chance LaBounty WR/DL.
Hoquiam’s best chance to end a five-game losing streak and salvage what has been a sub-par season is likely this week against Centralia.
The Grizzlies (1-6, 0-3 1A Evergreen) enter its final non-league contest of the season having allowed an average of 56 points per game during its current losing streak.
Hoquiam, a team beset by injuries this season, has been fortunate in that starting quarter back/safety Zander Jump has remained relatively healthy this season, providing leadership to several underclassmen that have been thrust into starting positions.
Centralia (0-7, 0-5 2A Evergreen) hasn’t won a game this season and has non-league losses to both Elma and Eatonville back in the beginning of the season.
The Tigers are coming off a 34-21 league loss to Black Hills a week ago.
THE DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Pe Ell-Willapa Valley’s Cody Strozyk, seen here in a file photo from Oct. 13, and the Titans will face Forks in a 2B Pacific League matchup on Friday.
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley at Forks
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Forks High School
Players to watch: PWV – Nathan Fluke QB; Blake Howard RB/LB; Cody Strozyk TE/LB. Forks – Bubba Hernandez QB; Gunner Rogers WR; Landin Davis RB.
As far as 2B class football is concerned, nothing comes easy in the 2B Central-North League.
One week after upsetting then-No. 5 Raymond-South Bend, Pe Ell-Willapa Valley (5-2, 3-2 2B Central-North) has a date with second-place Forks (6-1, 2-1) in a game with league playoff seeding at stake.
A win in their final league game of the season means the Titans are likely to end up as the league’s No. 2 team entering the playoffs as Forks is set to face top-ranked Napavine in the regular season finale a week later.
The 9th-ranked Titans forced six turnovers – including two interceptions from standout defensive back Cody Mican – in last week’s 14-12 win over the Ravens.
They’ll need a similar effort if they are to defeat a Spartans team coming off of two non-league wins after falling to Raymond-South Bend 40-21 in much better weather conditions two weeks ago.
Napavine at Raymond-South Bend
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Millam Field, South Bend
Players to watch: : RSB – Austin Snodgrass QB/LB; Ferrill Johnson RB/DB; Robby Stigall RB/LB. Napavine – Ashton Demarest QB; Cael Stanley RB; Karsen Denault WR.
It’s hard to imagine any team upsetting the defending-state champions and currently ranked No. 1 Napavine Tigers, but if Raymond-South Bend’s high-powered offense gets going, the Ravens have a chance at the upset.
With rain absent for the local forecast through Sunday, the turf at South Bend’s Millam Field should remain dry. With these two teams it may as well be a race track.
The 10th-ranked Ravens (4-2, 1-1 2B Central-North) are averaging 42 points per game and scored a combo-team record 62 points in a win over Adna on Sept. 22.
There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said about the team not-so-affectionately known as the “University of Napavine,” the cream of the crop in the 2B classification.
The Tigers (6-1, 2-0) have just one loss on the season – a 47-6 defeat at the hands of No. 7 1A Lynden Christian – and have dominated the 2B section once again this season, including a 60-14 win over No. 10 PWV on Sept. 22 and a 70-12 thrashing over Kalama last week.
If both offenses get rolling, this could end up one of the highest-scoring games in league and 2B class history.
Other games
North Beach at Ilwaco – The Hyaks (0-6, 0-5 2B Central Lower East-West) face the Fishermen (3-4, 2-3) in an 8-man game at 7 p.m. Friday at Ilwaco High School.
Toutle Lake at Ocosta – The Wildcats (2-4, 2-3 2B Central Lower East-West) face Toutle Lake (3-4, 1-2) at 7 p.m. Friday in Westport.
Naselle at Taholah – The Chitwhins (2-3) take on Naselle (6-1) at 7 p.m. Friday at Taholah High School.
Lake Quinault at Northwest Christian – The Elks (5-1) face Northwest Christian (5-0) in a battle for the top spot in the 1B Coastal 6-man League at 8 p.m. Friday at Black Hills High School in Tumwater.
Wishkah Valley at Mary M. Knight – The Loggers (2-4) look for their second win in a row when they take on Mary M. Knight (0-6) at 1 p.m. Saturday Mary M. Knight High School.
