Both Aberdeen and Hoquiam have pride on the line this week and will be trying to rebound from last week’s losses in prep football action this Friday.
The Bobcats (0-3, 2-5) will take on Rochester (0-2, 2-5) at home while the Grizzlies (4-3) face the tough task of taking on Class 2A power Hockinson (7-0) on the road.
Neither game has any playoff implications. Hoquiam’s game against Hockinson will come outside of the league. Aberdeen’s playoff hopes were dashed with last week’s blowout loss to Tumwater.
In other action Friday, Montesano (2-0, 7-0) will host Tenino (0-3, 1-5), Elma (1-1, 3-4) visits Forks (1-1, 5-2), North Beach (0-3, 2-5) faces Pe Ell-Willapa Valley (3-0, 5-2) at Menlo, Raymond (2-1, 3-4) makes the short trip to South Bend (2-1, 6-1) and Ocosta (1-2, 3-4) is home against Ilwaco (1-2, 3-4).
The lone Saturday game finds Naselle (5-0, 6-1) at Taholah (0-3 in contested games).
Aberdeen-Rochester
Rochester has had its ups and downs on offense but put up a decent number of points in a 42-35 loss to Centralia last Friday.
The Bobcats are coming off a loss with less positives to draw from after falling 60-0 to the T-Birds last week but head coach Kevin Ridout said his team is not focused on what happened in their last game.
“They’ve already put it behind them,” he said. “They understand what Tumwater is. They’re one of the five best teams in the state in any classification. We want to go in and compete with them but we need to get ready for this week.”
The Bobcat’s predictably leaned on running back Kylan Touch to carry the load offensively but the ground game, like the passing game was ineffective.
Touch had been ill in the days leading up to the game but Ridout said Touch will need some better blocking upfront for him to continue his pursuit of Aberdeen’s career rushing record.
“The lack of yardage isn’t necessarily his issue,” he said. “We have to do a better job blocking up front and when you have athletes like what Tumwater brought on the field, they’re pretty difficult to block and get a handle on.”
Both teams will lean heavily on the ground game with the Warriors featuring an option game that few teams in the league use.
Stopping Rochester’s run game will require a lot of patience as the defense will have to work hard to not overpursue the ball carrier and be aware of the potential pitch from the quarterback to the running back or wide receiver.
Hoquiam-Hockinson
In facing Hockinson — ranked second among state 2A teams — the Grizzlies will be opposing a team that likes to move the ball through the air and take advantage of its athletic pass catchers.
This is in sharp contrast to how Hoquiam has tried to move the ball this year. The Grizzlies, who had displayed a strong passing attack early in the season, have been relying recently on an offensive attack focusing primarily on the ground game.
The Grizzlies will need another strong game from their defense but the practices early in the week have focused on the offensive side of the ball.
“The offense will be the focus this week so we can get ready for our last league game the following week,” said Hoquiam head coach Jeremy McMillan. “Our communication up front has got to get better. We were’t communicating the blocks very well and guys were getting confused. That’s what Monte does to you. They harass you a little bit.”
The Grizzlies are planning to run the ball as usual but also hope to mix in short passes and screens to keep the defense honest.
One of the most successful plays of last weeks game against Montesano occurred when Rayyon Dayton took a 91-yard touchdown pass, but Hoquiam will experiment with the offense in this non-league game.
In addition to kick-starting the passing game, McMillan said they may put Dayton under center to give the offense a different look.
“That was Rayyon’s third varsity game so the sky is the limit for that kid right now,” he said. “He plays quarterback, too, so we look to see him play a quarter at quarterback this Friday. “
The defensive look will be different for this game as well. Going up against an air raid offense, the Grizzlies plan to use a combination of man coverage with high safeties and zone coverage to keep the passing attack off balance.
Hoquiam will be trotting out a lot of different packages on both sides of the ball for the non-league opponent but the preparation for Hockinson could provide a good opportunity to revisit how the do things.
Other games
Montesano will be looking to remain unbeaten in Evergreen 1A League game on Senior Night against Tenino. With a win Friday and an Elma loss to Forks, the Bulldogs would clinch the top-seeded berth in the district crossover playoffs.
Elma, meanwhile, needs a victory at Forks to keep its playoff hopes alive. The Eagles host Montesano in the East County Civil War on Oct. 27.
