The playoffs are upon us as we preview Twin Harbors prep teams and their crossover-round counterparts.

Aberdeen at Washougal

When and where: 5 p.m. Saturday at Washougal High School

Players to watch: Aberdeen – Grady Springer QB/DB, Aidan Watkins RB/LB, Micah Schroeder RB/LB, Marcus Hale RB/LB. Washougal – Holden Bea QB, Sam Evers WR/CB, William Cooper RB/SS.

Based on the results, it’s safe to say the Aberdeen Bobcats had a successful regular season.

In earning a third-place finish and its first outright playoff berth under head coach Todd Bridge, Aberdeen (6-3 overall) was rewarded with a 2A crossover matchup against the Washougal Panthers (7-2), which placed in a three-way tie for second place in the Greater St. Helen’s League.

If the Bobcats are to advance they have to find a way to slow down Panthers senior quarterback Holden Bea, a three-star Idaho Vandals commit who is dangerous with his arm and his legs.

Bea is the heartbeat of the Washougal offense, leading the team with 785 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns while throwing for 2,269 yards – 252 per game – and 27 touchdowns to just five interceptions for a quarterback rating of 134.

The Panthers have won five straight entering Saturday’s game, with their high-powered offense scoring 45 or more points in four of those games.

Aberdeen has played its best this season when it has brought physicality to its opponents on both offense and defense, which played a key factor in the Cats’ third-place finish in a notoriously brutal 2A Evergreen Conference.

If Aberdeen can limit Bea’s deep threat and quick-strike capabilities, the Bobcats have the type of offense that can wear down the opposition and chew up clock with its bruising power-running game, thus limiting the amount of time the ball is in Bea’s hands.

Look for the Bobcats to feed standout senior running back Aidan Watkins (155 carries, 975 yards, 12 touchdowns), who has been as difficult to tackle as any running back in the 2A class this season.

PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Montesano sophomore Tyson Perry, seen here in a file photo from Oct. 28, and the Bulldogs will open the postseason with a 1A crossover game against Stevenson on Friday in Montesano.

Stevenson at Montesano

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Jack Rottle Field, Montesano

Players to watch: Stevenson – Kacen Bach QB, Nate Kick WR, Derek White WR. Montesano – Gabe Bodwell RB/DL, Cam Taylor OL/DL, Tyson Perry QB, Mason Rasmussen WR/LB.

Montesano enters the 1A crossover round ranked third in the state in the sblive.com polls, largely due to possessing one of the best defenses in the class.

The Bulldogs (9-0) have outscored its opponents 404-27 this season and have allowed a paltry three points a game en route to the 1A Evergreen League title.

Monte did not allow a point in league play and has allowed no more than seven points in any game this season, those points usually coming in the fourth quarter with its reserve players in the game.

On offense, injuries have forced several Bulldogs sophomores into starting position, most notably quarterback Tyson Perry, leading to a few more penalties and missed scoring opportunities than Monte is accustomed too.

But those problems aren’t that glaring when a defense led by the likes of Cam Taylor, Gabe Pyhala, Peyton Damasiewicz and a host of fast and physical athletes shuts down every opponent it lines up against.

That pattern likely won’t change against Stevenson (3-5), whose three wins came in the 1A Trico League to start the season, but has lost five straight, four of those to 2B Central League competition.

In a 48-28 loss to Toledo last week, Stevenson quarterback Kacen Bach completed 28-of-48 passes for 360 yards and four touchdowns, with receivers Nate Kick and Derek White going over 100 receiving yards apiece in the loss.

Elma at La Center

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

Players to watch: Elma – Carter Studer QB, Isaac Phillips FB/MLB, Isaac McGaffey WR/DB, Jacob Meadows WR/CB. Jackson Schneider WR/LB. La Center – Houston Coyle QB, Jalen Ward RB, Parker McKinney WR.

Elma squeaked into the 1A crossover round as the 1A Evergreen’s No. 4 seed despite losing its last three league games.

The Eagles have a tough test in the state’s seventh-ranked team, the La Center Wildcats, on Friday in La Center.

Elma (4-5) has been led by senior quarterback Carter Studer, who has 1,508 passing yards this season, an average of 189 yards per game.

Studer’s numbers dropped a bit after three straight league losses to Tenino, Eatonville and Montesano saw the Eagles go from a potential No. 2 seed down to fourth.

But Elma has shown at times this season that when its passing game gets clicking, it can be hard to stop as Studer has the arm to make any throw on the field.

They’ll need every bit of that and then some against a Wildcats team that dominated the 1A Trico League behind the play of quarterback Houston Coyle and running back Jalen Ward.

In last week’s 34-17 win over Castle Rock, Coyle went 19-for-26 for 202 yards and a touchdown while Ward rushed for 138 yards and three scores on 13 carries.

The Wildcats defense has allowed 20 points or more in a game just once this season, that coming in a 41-28 win over Connell on Sept. 22.

If Elma is to pull off the upset, Studer and his talented receiving corps will have to be on their A game while the defense will have to find a way to slow down a potent Wildcats attack.

Toledo at Raymond-South Bend

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Millam Field, South Bend

Players to watch: Toledo – Eli Weeks QB, Ethan Carver RB, Ethan Brooks TE. RSB – Austin Snodgrass QB/LB, Ferrill Johnson RB/DB, Robby Stigall RB/LB.

Toledo shocked state prep football fans by pulling off an upset over Raymond-South Bend to open the 2023 season. On Friday, Raymond-South Bend has its chance at a little payback in a 2B crossover game in South Bend.

Like any team coming out of the 2B Central-North League, the ninth-ranked Ravens (5-3) are as battle-tested as they come and are led by a big-play rushing attack that has accounted for 334 yards per game this season.

The Ravens are led by the senior trio of quarterback Austin Snodgrass (55 carries, 564 yards, 10 TD) and running backs Ferrill Johnson (115, 1,324, 14 TD) and Robbie Stigall (95, 612, 9 TD), all three of whom have the ability to break a big gain on any play.

Sixth-ranked Toledo (7-2) placed third in the 2B Central-South after losses to Onalaska and Kalama. The Riverhawks are led by quarterback Eli Weeks and running back Ethan Carver, with the latter scoring a game-winning touchdown run with two seconds left to go in Toledo’s 42-35 upset over the Ravens in the season-opener.

It’s a loss certain to be on the mind of Raymond-South Bend as they enter Friday’s postseason matchup.

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley at Kalama

DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Pe Ell-Willapa Valley quarterback Nathan Fluke, seen here in a file photo from Oct. 13, and the Titans will face Kalama in a 2B crossover game on Saturday in Kalama.

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

Players to watch: PWV – Nathan Fluke QB, Blake Howard RB/LB, Cody Strozyk TE/LB. Kalama – Aiden Brown QB, Ethan Brightbill WR, Drew Schlangen RB, Henry Sigfridson WR.

By way of its pigtail game win over Rainier on Tuesday, the Pe Ell-Willapa Valley Titans will have a short turnaround before going up against fourth-ranked Kalama in a 2B crossover game on Saturday.

PWV (6-4) snapped a short two-game losing streak with Tuesday’s victory, which came just five days after a 58-15 loss to No. 5 Onalaska.

The Titans are led by quarterback Nathan Fluke, who has 1,120 passing yards and 14 touchdowns on the season, and running back Blake Howard, who leads PWV with 823 rushing yards on the year.

The Chinooks (6-3) are the 2B Central-South League champions, led by dynamic quarterback Aidan Brown, who accounted for five touchdowns, passed for 243 yards and rushed for 120 yards in a 57-34 win over Adna on Friday to clinch the league title.

Brown isn’t the only talented Kalama footballer the Titans will have to worry about as the Chinooks have a plethora of weapons, including Drew Schlangen – who rushed for a pair of touchdowns and returned an interception 70 yards for a pick-six – and Henry Sigfridson – who caught four passes for 108 yards and two scores in last week’s victory.

PWV – which reached the state semifinals a season ago – will have to play its brand of gritty, disciplined and physical football if it hopes to upset the Chinooks, whose only losses this season are to 2A Woodland, 1A La Center and defending 2B champion Napavine.