Prep Football Preview: Key league matchups on deck for Week 7

Week 7 of the prep football season features Montesano and Hoquiam squaring off, Aberdeen facing Rochester in a game with playoff implications, and Raymond-South Bend hosting Pe Ell-Willapa Valley in what promises to be the next big rivalry game in Pacific County.

MONTESANO AT HOQUIAM

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Olympic Stadium, Hoquiam

Players to watch: Montesano — Mateo Sanchez LB, Tucker Eaton DB, Kaleb Ames DB, Gabe Bodwell DL. Hoquiam — Zander Jump QB, Owen McNeill WR/DB, Jake Templer RB.

To the victor go the spoils, and for registering the biggest upset in the state last week, the Montesano Bulldogs jumped five spots to No. 4 in the latest scorebooklive.com rankings, one better than the team they beat, previously undefeated Eatonville.

But the talk amongst some league coaches was that, according to their film study, the upset was not a surprise as Montesano is a team to be reckoned with due in large part to a defense that held Eatonville scoreless in the second half.

Montesano, however, is not a program content with — or one that even pays attention to — where it sits in the rankings. The Bulldogs are about competing for state championships, and that starts with a mentality the coaching staff instills in its players: Every week is a new championship game.

This week’s “championship game” pits the Bulldogs against league and county rival Hoquiam on Friday at the legendary Olympic Stadium.

Hoquiam (3-3, 1-1) has improved over last season and has wins over Fort Vancouver, La Salle and Elma with losses to Aberdeen and two ranked opponents in Nooksack Valley and Tenino.

The Bulldogs have won the last four meetings between the two teams, averaging 48 points per game while only allowing three points over that stretch.

ELMA AT TENINO

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Tenino High School

Players to watch: Elma — Carter Studer QB/OLB, Gibson Cain WR/DB, Kyren Hackney WR/DB. Tenino — Dylan Spicer RB, Cody Strawn QB.

Six games into the season, it’s safe to say that Elma players are starting to find a rhythm in their new shotgun-spread offense as the Eagles have averaged 35 points over the past three games.

Unfortunately for the Eagles (2-4, 0-1), the last two games have ended in three-point defeats at the hand of Hoquiam and undefeated South Whidbey.

The schedule doesn’t get any easier for Elma as the Eagles face No. 9 Tenino on Friday in Tenino.

The Eagles had won five straight games against the Beavers (5-1, 2-1) until a 44-16 loss last season.

After a deep playoff run last season, Tenino appears to no longer be the doormat of the 1A Evergreen League, with its only loss this season being a close one two weeks ago to then No. 1 Eatonville.

The Beavers’ one-dimensional offense features a tightly-spaced, triple-back formation that can punish you and break open big plays, particularly from senior running back Dylan Spicer.

ROCHESTER AT ABERDEEN

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Stewart Field, Aberdeen

Players to watch: Aberdeen — Aidan Watkins RB/LB, Trey Anderson RB/LB, Jeremy Sawyer RB/LB. Rochester — Tate Quanstrom QB, Connor Morris RB, Braden Hartley RB.

As tough of a go it has been for the Aberdeen Bobcats this season, the Bobcats are largely in control of their own destiny if they are to qualify for one of the league’s four postseason spots.

The Bobcats (3-3, 2-1) will take their next step to securing one of those spots when they host Rochester in a key league matchup on Friday in Aberdeen.

Aberdeen currently sits in a three-way tie for second place in the 2A Evergreen League with Shelton and Tumwater, but after last week’s 35-3 loss, the Thunderbirds hold the tie-breaker over the Bobcats.

Rochester currently sits in sixth place in the league and has lost three of its last four league games, including a 42-0 defeat to first-place WF West last week.

The game is also Aberdeen’s final home game of the regular season. With road games at WF West and Shelton still on the schedule, Friday’s win is a must if the Bobcats hope to secure a playoff spot.

PE ELL-WILLAPA VALLEY AT RAYMOND-SOUTH BEND

When and where: 4 p.m. Saturday at South Bend High School

RSB — Austin Snodgrass QB/DB, Ty Reidinger RB/LB, Ferrill Johnson RB. PWV — Kolten Fluke QB/LB, Blake Howard RB/LB, Derek Fluke RB/LB.

For decades, Pacific League county rivalries revolved around three teams — Pe Ell-Willapa Valley, Raymond and South Bend — providing memories and barber-shop talking points for generations of faithful fans.

But with Raymond and South Bend making the decision to join forces beginning two seasons ago, questions arose if doing so would not only dissolve the Raymond-South Bend rivalry, but dilute any Pac County rivalry games all together.

Saturday’s game between Pe Ell-Willapa Valley and Raymond-South Bend can go a long way to answering those questions.

Saturday’s game on the turf at South Bend High School will feature two of the best teams in the 2B classification.

The Ravens (6-0, 3-0 2B Central-North) have dominated its opponents this season en route to a No. 2 ranking in the WIAA rankings and No. 5 on the scorebooklive.com poll.

PWV (3-3, 3-1) has won its last two games by an average score of 45 and is No. 17 in the latest WIAA rankings. The Titans three losses have all come against high-ranked opponents as PWV is playing one of the toughest schedules in the 2B class.

The game against RSB will be the Titans’ fourth game against an opponent ranked No. 6 or higher this season.

OTHER GAMES

Ocosta at Toutle Lake (1 p.m. Saturday) — The Wildcats look to extend their win streak to three games against the winless Ducks.

North Beach at Chief Leschi (7 p.m. Friday) — The Hyaks will be looking to avenge a 72-40 loss to the Warriors back on Sept. 9.

Northwest Christian at Lake Quinault (1 p.m. Saturday) — The Elks have scored 43 points or more in running their record to a perfect 4-0 this season.

Clallam Bay at Wishkah Valley (1 p.m. Saturday) — Wishkah Valley will host Clallam Bay in a homecoming game for the Loggers on Saturday.