One longtime rivalry, one playoff seeding game, one more game for redemption and several more games of worthy note fill the final regular-season weekened in Twin Harbors football.
At Rottle Field, the presumptive Evergreen 1A League champion Montesano will host rival Elma in the East County Civil War. Up Highway 101, Hoquiam will take on Forks in a league seeding game.
At Stewart Field, Aberdeen will conclude the 2016 season by hosting Centralia on Senior Night. Plus, two of the three Southwest Washington 2B Coastal Division games will have playoff and league title implications — Raymond at Pe Ell-Willapa Valley and Ilwaco at North Beach.
East County Civil War
What a difference one week can make. Entering last week’s slate of league games, this annual rivalry fight had the strong possibility as a league title game, a distinction that has been missing from the game over the past couple of years.
However, a three-overtime loss by Elma to Forks in the rain eliminated the Eagles from postseason consideration and handed Montesano a share of the league title. A Bulldogs win on Friday will give them the outright league title to go with their No. 1 seed into next weekend’s district-to-state crossover games.
Regardless of the records, the scenarios and the circumstances, there is more than enough motivation for both teams to be fired up for this game.
“Everything is business-like; we are focusing on our preparation and trying to get better every day,” Montesano head coach Terry Jensen said. “Although there are no playoff implications for either team, nonetheless it is a very important game for both teams because of the rivalry.”
“We’ll bounce back; the kids have been resilient all year and this is no different,” Elma head coach Ron Clark said.
There is always the chance for a player to make their name in the game’s record books every year. For Montesano, quarterback Trevor Ridgway, running backs Carson Klinger and Nathan Olson and wide receiver Tyler Reninger have been the mainstays on offense and will challenge the Eagles’ bend-but-don’t-break defense. For Elma, running back Ira Hartford has more than 1,100 yards rushing this season, plus quarterback Avery Brown and wide receivers Brandon Butcher and Liam Baxter, have been exceptional and the Bulldogs will have an eye on them.
“Against the Wing-T, you must be disciplined in your assignments — do your job first,” Jensen said. “Defensively they are pretty aggressive and bring pressure. What really stands out is how they battle for four quarters — no quit in them on either side of the ball.”
“Montesano is an outstanding team; very well coached and very talented,” Clark added. “Our game plan is to simply to play football and for the seniors to enjoy their last game. (This is a chance also) for our younger players to get quality experience against state-level competition.”
Hoquiam-Forks
In a five-school league, this was bound to happen.
Forks, in a postseason elimination game one week, finds itself in a regular-season ending seeding game that could give it the No. 2 crossover berth over Hoquiam. That is what winning a three overtime thriller on the road can do for you.
Now, for Hoquiam, it has a slim chance of a shared league title on the line to go with its shot at a No. 2 berth. This is more than enough motivation for a Grizzlies squad that is still fired up over scoring 42 points in the second half to outlast Class 2A Hockinson, 48-40, at Olympic Stadium.
“Down 26-6, to come back and win, that doesn’t happen very often in high school ball,” HHS head coach Rick Moore said. “The boys flipped the switch and came back. We’ve proven we can score. Now, they realize they want the No. 2 spot. We’re going to play who we’re going to play (in the postseason), so we’re going to aim for second in the league. Getting a share of the title is still there, too. We’ve talked about that.”
Forks put up 380 yards of rushing offense on Elma in the three-overtime win at muddy Davis Field last week, led by 141 yards and three touchdowns from Jack Dahlgren and 105 yards and one score from Garrison Schmack.
“They run a lot of power offense and run the Wildcat, too,” Moore added. “Predominantly against Tenino and Elma, they’ve tried a power running game. The weather conditions will probably dictate what they’re going to do.”
Depending upon the weather, quarterback Gregory Dick will have a chance to add to his totals. Against Hockinson, Dick threw for 316 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jack Adams III in the second half. Artimus Johnson ran for 136 yards and three touchdowns and will see room against the Spartans.
Coach Moore cited Dylan Moodenbaugh and Chewy Muro on the offensive line, with Matt Brown cited for his work on both sides of the ball and Johnson for his running against the Hawks.
Aberdeen-Centralia
Friday night will be Senior Night for the Bobcats — 10 seniors will be honored in pre-game ceremonies to cap the regular-season finale for them and visiting Centralia.
Both teams enter this contest with one league win (both against Rochester) and a four-win season overall will do wonders for confidence in the off-season.
“There’s plenty of motivation — we want to finish fourth in league and continue to improve; winning is fun, losing sucks,” AHS head coach Kevin Ridout said. “The kids will go out there and compete; they’ve done that all season.”
The Bobcats survived the muddy confines of Rochester High School last week, limiting the Warriors to only three yards rushing and 101 yards of offense total. Aberdeen ran for 178 yards, led by quarterback/running back Kylan Touch’s 106 yards and two touchdowns.
Quarterback Ben Dublanko is still in concussion protocol and is a game-time decision to play on Friday.
Centralia lost to Chehalis in their annual Swamp Cup rivalry game and has given up an average of 223 yards rushing per game this season. The Bearcats ran for 291 yards last week in a 27-0 win.
“We have two equally matched football teams,” Ridout said. “Centralia is a better football team than what people are giving them credit for. We have to go out there, be prepared and execute. It is going to be a slugfest going in. they have weapons, can get off the ball very quickly. We’re looking forward to this matchup.”
Rob Burns: (360) 537-3926; rburns@thedailyworld.com; Twitter: @RobRVR
