Where will they finish?
That’s the question for several playoff-bound Twin Harbors teams as we enter the final week of the prep football regular season.
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Elma at Montesano
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Jack Rottle Field, Montesano
Players to watch: Montesano – Tyson Perry QB/LB, Gabe Pyhala RB/LB, Mason Rasmussen WR/LB, Terek Gunter RB/DB. Elma – Isaac McGaffey QB/S, Ethan Camus WR/DB, Bo Muller RB/LB, Colt Landstrom REC/LB.
It’s time for Civil War, and we’re not talking about next week’s election.
Montesano will host Elma in an East County Civil War game on Friday at Montesano High School, with both teams locked in a three-way tie for first place in the 1A Evergreen League.
The Bulldogs (5-3 overall, 2-1 1A Evergreen) and Eagles (4-4, 2-1) are both coming off key victories last week and have clinched a postseason berth.
After looking mediocre in a what was at the time considered a league-title loss to Rochester two weeks ago, Monte proved itself to be a possible state-title contender with a gutsy victory over Nooksack Valley – the top team in the WIAA RPI and ranked in the top five in most independent polls – last week at Jack Rottle Field.
The Bulldogs did so by getting a huge performance from junior quarterback Tyson Perry (25-37, 362 yards) and a defense that forced four timely turnovers to defeat last season’s state semifinalists, becoming the first 1A class team to do so this season.
Elma got off to a poor start – trailing 14-0 early in the first quarter to Hoquiam – before scoring 36 unanswered points to pick up the victory.
DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Elma’s Colt Landstrom and the Eagles face Montesano in the East County Civil War on Friday at Montesano.Montesano High School.
Both teams are tied atop the 1A Evergreen League with Rochester and depending on the outcome of this week’s games, both could end up with a more favorable higher seed.
Though Monte’s victory over Nooksack Valley made news around the state, it did little for the Bulldogs in terms of the league playoff picture, being a non-league game.
Tenino’s upset victory over Rochester last week did more for the Bulldogs in terms of a league title than their own non-league victory.
Rochester holds the head-to-head tiebreaker against both Monte and Elma, having defeated both teams this season.
The Warriors are heavy favorites to beat last-place Hoquiam on Friday, and will claim the No. 1 playoff seed coming out of the 1A Evergreen with a victory.
If Hoquiam manages to pull off the monumental upset, however, the East County Civil War becomes a battle for that top spot.
If not, the Bulldogs and Eagles will be battling for the second league-playoff seed.
Regardless, both have plenty to play for on Friday.
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DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Aberdeen running back/linebacker Riley Wixson and the Bobcats face Tenino in a non-league matchup on Friday in Tenino.
Aberdeen at Tenino
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Beaver Stadium, Tenino
Players to watch: Aberdeen – Micah Schroeder RB/LB, Mason Hill QB/S, Legend Vessey RB/LB, Riley Wixson, RB/LB. Tenino – Mason Metcalf QB, Michael Vassar RB, Austin Gonia WR.
One week after beating Black Hills for its playoff lives, the Aberdeen Bobcats can breathe a little easier as they take on Tenino in a non-league game on Friday at Beaver Stadium.
The Bobcats (3-5) avoided any possibility of a Kansas tie-breaker by beating Black Hills last Friday, thanks in large part to running backs Micah Schroeder (35 carries, 278 yards) and Riley Wixson (13-71), who spearheaded an Aberdeen rushing attack that amassed 349 yards on the ground.
With its league season done and locked into the 2A EvCo No. 3 playoff spot, the Bobcats face a Beavers team that is out of the playoff picture despite coming off a 38-24 upset of Rochester.
Aberdeen hasn’t had what could be considered a throw-away game – a non-league contest late in the season that has no bearing on the playoff picture – in a long time. With the Bobcats facing a likely high-seed in the playoffs the following week, it will be interesting to see how head coach Todd Bridge and the coaching staff handle this one.
Obviously, Aberdeen is going into Friday’s contest focused on winning the game, but it wouldn’t be surprising to see the Bobcats starters and key reserves play limited minutes on Friday.
Aberdeen is expected to find out its playoff opponent this weekend when the WIAA releases the 2A class Round of 32.
The Bobcats have been relatively healthy, with no major injuries to its top players.
Win or lose on Friday, it will be a victory if they can get into the playoffs unscathed.
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DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Hoquiam running back/linebacker Kingston Case and the Grizzlies can play spoiler when they close out the season against Rochester on Friday at Rochester High School.
Hoquiam at Rochester
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Rochester High School
Players to watch: Hoquiam – Joey Bozich QB/LB, Kingston Case RB/FS, Winston Kaikaka RB/LB, Lincoln Niemi TE/DL. Rochester – Xander Peterman RB, Ethan Rodriguez RB, Carter Rotter QB.
Though its season will end on Friday after having failed to reach the postseason, Hoquiam will have plenty of motivation entering Friday’s season finale against Rochester.
There is no better feeling for a team that’s out of the playoffs to play spoiler to the league’s top-team, and that’s exactly the situation the Grizzlies find themselves in this weekend.
Hoquiam (2-6, 0-3 1A Evergreen) can avoid a winless league season as well as knock the Warriors out of the league’s No. 1 playoff seed it can find a way to win on Friday.
That will be a tough task as Rochester (4-4, 2-1) knows it needs a win to secure the top spot and make sure it doesn’t fall to No. 2 behind the Elma-Montesano winner after having beat both those teams this season.
To do so, Hoquiam will have to find a way to stop Rochester’s high-powered rushing attack, which chewed up clock and yardage in its league victories this season.
The Grizzlies have shown at times to be able to move the chains and kill clock, mostly behind the solid running of tailback Kingston Case.
But Hoquiam hasn’t been consistent enough to turn it into wins and are still struggling to limit turnovers and mistakes in games.
They’ll have to be near perfect to have a chance at a season-defining victory on Friday.
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Pe Ell-Willapa Valley at Adna
When and where: 7 p.m. Thursday at Adna High School
Players to watch: PWV – Nathan Fluke QB/S, Cody Strozyk RB/MLB, Lucas Lusk RB/LB; Blaine King WR/DB. Adna – Beau Miller RB, Layden York QB, Luke Mohney RB.
For the second week in a row, Pe Ell-Willapa Valley has a chance to secure a top playoff spot with a victory when the Titans take on Adna on Thursday in Adna.
With first place and a possible league title on the line last week, PWV was outplayed by Napavine in a blowout loss.
This week, PWV (5-3, 3-1 2B Central-West) can lock up the No. 2 seed out of the 2B Central-West League with a victory, but it won’t be easy as First Team all-league candidate in senior running back/linebacker Cody Strozyk suffered a leg injury early in the loss to the Tigers and is questionable for Thursday’s matchup.
PWV had plenty of weapons for quarterback Nathan Fluke to utilize, but Strozyk is a team leader and difference-maker that when he is not on the field, there is a noticeable void.
Adna (5-3, 3-1) is coming off a 27-7 win over last-place Ilwaco last week and has won three-straight games after a 27-13 loss to Napavine, the closest any 2B team has come to beating the Tigers this season.
PWV has won two straight against the Pirates, including a nail-biting 22-20 win last season.
If Strozyk is unable to go or not at 100%, Titans Cody Mican, Blaine King, Lucas Lusk and others will have to pick up the slack to secure the No. 2 playoff spot in arguably the toughest 2B league in the state.
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Ilwaco at Raymond-South Bend
When and where: 7 p.m. Thursday at Sanchez Field, South Bend
Players to watch: RSB – Chris Quintana QB/DB, Isaac Schlueter RB/LB. Ilwaco – Dylan Pelas QB/SS, Corbin Johnson FB, Cody Kaino RB/CB.
Raymond-South Bend and Ilwaco will both be playing for pride when the two teams face off on Thursday at Sanchez Field in South Bend.
It will be the last game for Ravens senior quarterback Chris Quintana and senior running back Isaac Schlueter, who have run for 650 and 623 yards, respectively, with each scoring eight touchdowns this season.
RSB (2-6, 0-4 2B Central-West) has been able to ride its running game to success in many games this season, but the young Ravens have struggled to slow down opposing offenses, allowing 45.8 points per game in its six losses this season.
The Fishermen (4-4, 0-4) haven’t fared much better as after starting the season 4-0, Ilwaco has lost four-consecutive games by a combined score of 142-28 (35.5-7 average).
A victory to avoid a winless league season would go a long way for a Ravens team looking to re-establish itself as a league contender in the near future.
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Other games
Wishkah Valley at WA School for Deaf – The Loggers (3-2, 2-2 1B Coastal 6-man) have a chance to lock up the third spot in the 1B Coastal 6-man League with a victory over the Terriers (2-3, 1-3) at 3 p.m. on Thursday.
North Beach at Charles Wright Academy – The Hyaks (3-5) can wrap up its season with two straight victories when they face the Tarriers (4-4) at 7 p.m. Friday in Tacoma.
Chief Leschi at Taholah – The Chitwins (2-5, 2-5 SWW 8-man) host the Warriors (2-5, 2-5) in a Southwest Washington 8-man League game at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Easton at Lake Quinault – With two games left on its schedule, the Elks (0-6, 0-5 1B Coastal 6-man) look to avoid a winless season when they host the Jaguars (1-5, 1-3) at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
Ocosta at Evergreen Lutheran – The Wildcats (4-3, 4-3 SWW 8-man) take on the Eagles (0-8, 0-7) at 6 p.m. on Saturday in Tacoma.
