Can surprising Elma remain unbeaten? Will Aberdeen and Montesano pick up their first wins? What will happen when Hoquiam faces Raymond-South Bend for the first time?
These are just a few of the questions facing Twin Harbors teams as we take a look at Week 3 games of the prep football season.
~~~
Sequim at Elma
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Davis Field, Elma
Players to watch: Sequim – Ezekiel Schmadeke QB/CB; Malachi Hampton WR/DB. Elma – Isaac McGaffey QB/S, Ethan Camus WR/DB, Traden Carter RB/LB; Bo Muller RB/LB.
Elma hopes to keep the momentum going when the Eagles square off against Sequim on Friday at Davis Field.
Aside from totalling 24 penalties in its first two games, the Eagles have looked sharp in dispatching Centralia and Stevenson, with a 16.5 point average margin of victory.
That’s largely due to an offense led by junior quarterback Isaac McGaffey, who has been efficient in utilizing various weapons, with the primary target being speedy receiver Ethan Camus.
Elma’s defense was opportunistic in last week’s win over Stevenson, forcing four turnovers and holding the Bulldogs to 142 yards of offense.
Sequim (1-1) is coming off a 36-14 loss to Franklin Pierce after beating Forks 35-26 to open the season.
The Wolves struggled against Franklin Pierce, amassing just 136 yards of offense while allowing more than twice that on the ground against the Cardinals.
Franklin Pierce ran for 319 yards and totalled 403 yards to beat Sequim.
With the speed Elma has at the skill positions, the Eagles could very well find success on offense for the third straight game.
~~~
Rochester at Aberdeen
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Stewart Field, Aberdeen
Players to watch: Rochester – Conley Doelman TE/CB, Ethan Rodriguez RB/S, Carter Rotter QB/S. Aberdeen – Micah Schroeder RB/LB, Mason Hill QB/S, Legend Vessey RB/LB; Adonis Hammonds WR/DB.
After dropping its first two games to open the season, the Aberdeen Bobcats look to get their first win when they face Rochester on Friday in Aberdeen.
With many new faces in new places, the Bobcats struggled against Steilacoom and its standout quarterback Drew MacDonald in last week’s 18-0 loss.
While Aberdeen has scored just six points thus far, the defense has been able to keep the Cats in games, holding opponents to 20 points or less through their first two games.
Rochester (0-2) has suffered two close losses to King’s Way Christian and Castle Rock, falling by eight and six points, respectively.
The Warriors are a run-heavy team led by quarterback Carter Rotter and running back Ethan Rodriguez, who will likely get a lot of carries on Friday.
This is the first meeting against the two schools since Rochester left the 2A Evergreen and dropped to the 1A class for this season.
Aberdeen has won the last two meetings and four of the past five dating back to 2019.
~~~
Montesano at Black Hills
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Tumwater Stadium
Players to watch: Montesano – Tyson Perry QB/LB, Gabe Pyhala RB/LB, Mason Rasmussen WR/LB, Terek Gunter RB/DB. Black Hills – Jaxsen Beck QB; Tristan Deville WR/DB; Jesse Keith RB/DB.
Montesano finds itself in the rare situation of dropping to 0-3 with a loss against Black Hills on Friday in Tumwater.
The Bulldogs (0-2) saw a potential victory slip away late in last week’s 21-18 loss to Ridgefield and will face its second straight 2A opponent on the road this week.
Areas of concern for Montesano coaches has been the ability to run and inability to stop the run, as evidenced by Ridgefield running 72 plays from scrimmage last week.
The last time the Bulldogs were 0-2 was in the 2014 season after losses to Black Hills and Nooksack Valley.
The Wolves (1-1) opened the season with a 49-20 win over Clover Park before suffering a 28-0 loss to Eatonville last week.
Black Hills is led by quarterback Jaxsen Beck, who threw for 335 yards and seven touchdowns in the Wolves’ season-opening win.
The two teams have met in non-league contests in each of the past three seasons, with Monte winning twice, including a 44-7 victory last year.
~~~
Raymond-South Bend at Hoquiam
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Olympic Stadium, Hoquiam
Players to watch: RSB – Chris Quintana QB/DB, Chris Banker RB/LB, Isaac Schlueter RB/LB. Hoquiam – Joey Bozich QB/LB, A.J. Young LT/DL, Kingston Case RB/FS; Winston Kaikaka RB/LB.
It will be the first meeting between the host Grizzlies and the recently-formed Raymond-South Bend combo team on Friday at Olympic Stadium.
Hoquiam (0-2) has struggled in its first two losses, suffering a close 16-13 loss to Columbia-White Salmon to open the season followed by a 49-13 drubbing at the hands of King’s Way Christian last week.
The Ravens (1-1) appeared to be headed to a 2-0 start until a key scoop-and-score turnover led to a 43-34 loss to Rainier last Friday.
Look for Hoquiam to establish a running game featuring half back Kingston Case and quarterback Joey Bozich behind lineman A.J. Young.
RSB will likely counter with its high-octane run-option offense led by quarterback Chris Quintana and running backs Chris Banker and Isaac Schlueter, each of whom rushed for over 100 yards last week.
~~~
KODY CHRISTEN / THE CHRONICLE Pe Ell-Willapa Valley quarterback Nathan Fluke (12), seen here in a file photo, will lead the Titans into battle against Toledo on Friday.
Toledo at Pe Ell-Willapa Valley
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Crogstad Field, Menlo
Players to watch: Toledo – Eli Weeks QB; Trevin Gale WR; Carter Swofford RB. PWV – Nathan Fluke QB/S, Cody Strozyk RB/MLB, Connor “Cheese” Keeton OL/DL; Lucas Lusk RB/LB.
There are no easy games the rest of the way for Pe Ell-Willapa Valley and that trend will continue against Toledo on Friday at Willapa Valley High School.
After dispatching of Winlock 40-8 to open the season, the Titans (1-1) ran into a buzz saw that was the Onalaska Loggers in last week’s 34-8 loss.
PWV will look to get its running game going behind running backs Cody Strozyk and Lucas Lusk, hopefully opening up some options for quarterback Nathan Fluke.
Toledo (2-0) has impressed in a 35-7 win over Adna to open the season following a 26-13 win over Goldendale last week.
The Riverhawks are led by quarterback Eli Weeks, who accounted for more than 200 total yards of offense last week, and running back Carter Swofford, who had 147 rushing yards against Goldendale.
In last week’s victory, Toledo totalled 366 yards of offense to 182 for Goldendale.
The Titans have struggled against the Riverhawks, losing six of their past seven meetings dating back to 2014, including the past five straight.
~~~
Other games
Ocosta at North Beach – Two former 2B Central teams face off in a 1B 8-man matchup at 7 p.m. Friday at Lt. Davis Field in Ocean Shores.
Wishkah Valley at Easton – Wishkah Valley looks to keep the momentum of a season-opening win when it faces Easton at 1 p.m. Saturday at Easton High School.
Mary M. Knight at Lake Quinault – After its season-opener got cancelled last week, Lake Quinault will open the season when it hosts the Owls at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Lake Quinault High School in Amanda Park.
Taholah at Evergreen Lutheran – The Chitwhins will get their season started when they travel to face the Eagles at 6 p.m. Saturday at Franklin Pierce High School in Tacoma.
