Twin Harbors football fans won’t have to travel far to see their favorite teams this weekend.
Seven of the nine games involving area teams this weekend will be played in Grays Harbor or Pacific counties. Oddly, the two exceptions are home games for Willapa Harbor teams that will be staged outside of Pacific County.
The Friday night slate includes Elma (1-1) at Aberdeen (0-2), Fort Vancouver (0-2) at Hoquiam (1-1), Castle Rock (0-2) at Montesano (2-0), Wahkiakum (2-0) at South Bend (2-0), Toutle Lake (0-2) at North Beach (1-1), Mossyrock (0-2) at PeEll-Willapa Valley (1-1) at PeEll and Winlock (0-2) at Ocosta (1-1). The Mossyrock-PWV game will be played at PeEll as part of the combine’s rotation of home sites. With a sufficient number of eligible players on hand, Wishkah is scheduled to kick off its season at Naselle (1-1).
The Wishkah-Naselle game is the only league game of the group. All Friday games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
Raymond (0-2) faces Friday Harbor (0-1) at 12:30 p.m. Saturday at a site to be determined. That will represent the second half of a neutral-site series designed to minimize travel costs. The two teams met last year at Sedro-Woolley.
Aberdeen-Elma
This will be Aberdeen’s Homecoming and also represents a return to Stewart Field for former Bobcat coach Ron Clark, now the head coach at Elma.
The Grays Harbor rivals enter Friday’s confrontation from different emotional directions.
The Bobcats are coming off a 14-12 loss to Hoquiam that ranks among their most frustrating in recent years. The Eagles, meanwhile, twice rallied from two touchdowns behind to overcome White Salmon, 35-34.
“I have never known an Elma team that doesn’t fight. They come to the table and battle,” Aberdeen coach Kevin Ridout said. “I have the utmost respect for Ron Clark and his staff. I think it’s going to be a dogfight.”
Athletic Elma quarterback Cody Vollan passed for 211 yards and two touchdowns and ran for a third, while Ray Billerbeck intercepted two passes against White Salmon
“I think our blocking improved greatly from Week One (a lopsided loss to Eatonville),” Clark said. “Every field guy made a play. They did something big to change that game.”
The Bobcats, meanwhile, will try to shake off the defeat against Hoquiam in which they committed four turnovers and had two touchdowns and several other key plays called back due to penalties.
“Kids are resilient,” Ridout observed. “(They) were devastated after the game, but their attitude is now new week-new opponent.”
Aberdeen senior Bradley Deakin had an exceptional all-around game against Hoquiam, having a hand in 14 tackles and recovering a fumble.
Bobcat receiver Bailey Delahanty will miss Friday’s game due to a broken hand.
Hoquiam-Fort Vancouver
The Grizzlies will be renewing a rivalry that was once a staple in the old Southwest Washington 3A League.
While Hoquiam is now in the 1A classification, Fort Vancouver remains a 3A school. The Trappers have found the going rough thus far this season, however, having opened the season by losing to King’s Way Christian, 56-0, and The Dalles of Oregon, 34-0.
Coached by former Washington State and Seattle Seahawk running back Steve Broussard, Fort Vancouver operates primarily from a spread offense.
“They throw it around a little bit, they’ve got some options. They’re not imposing as far as size,” Hoquiam coach Jeremy McMillan said. “They’re searching for a win and Steve will have them ready. He’s a good motivator.”
McMillan was impressed with his team’s offensive execution in the fourth quarter against Aberdeen.
After the Bobcats closed the margin to two on a Kylan Touch touchdown run with 9:35 remaining, the Grizzlies expended more than six minutes on their next possession — running 15 plays and forcing Aberdeen to use its timeouts. Quarterback Payton Quintanilla ran the read-option flawlessly and Sean McAllister ran effectively during that drive. Interceptions by Quintanilla and Francis Sweeney clinched the victory.
Contrary to rumors, incidentally, Hoquiam’s fourth consecutive win over AHS did not represent a school record in the long trans-Myrtle Street rivalry. The Grizzlies won five straight from 1936 through 1940.
Other games
Injury-riddled Montesano will attempt to remain unbeaten against a Castle Rock team that has dropped a pair of decisions to upper-classification teams (Washougal and Ridgefield).
Bulldog receiver Kobe Gallinger will miss the contest while he undergoes concussion protocol. Receiver Dakoyta Reninger is out indefinitely with a knee injury. Ace running back Carson Klinger had a dislocated elbow pop back into place, but his status as of midweek is uncertain.
Coming off two decisive victories, South Bend should receive a stiffer test against traditional Central League contender Wahkiakum.
