The last week of non-league play brings a variety of matchups to the Twin Harbor schools. Opponents include teams from different classes and leagues with many of showdowns with squads from the southern counties.
No matter the name on the front of the jersey, no opponent can be overlooked to try and get another check in the win column before beginning league play.
After notching its first win of the season, Aberdeen will host 1A Castle Rock on Friday. The Bobcats are business as usual as they look to get to .500 on the season.
“There is nothing like a win to just make you feel good,” Aberdeen coach Kevin Ridout said. “They are kings for the day and now that has to be shelved and now we are rebuilding for this next week.”
Hoquiam will look to make it three wins in a row when it hosts La Center. The Grizzlies have been powered by a running game that has included Artimus Johnson rushing for more than 230 yards each of the past two weeks. Hoquiam will look to tame the Wildcats’ ground attack and continue to unleash the beast on offense.
Elma travels to Vancouver to take on King’s Way Christian, while Montesano returns home to host former league foe Rochester.
The eyes of 2B football fans from around the state will be on Crogstad Field in Menlo as No. 4 Toledo faces off with No. 8 Pe Ell-Willapa Valley.
ABERDEEN-CASTLE ROCK
Aberdeen (1-2) steamrolled its way to a 35-0 lead over Elma last week and cruised to victory. This week, the Bobcats will look to keep momentum as they try to blast past Castle Rock.
“We are going to have to play disciplined and good fundamental football,” Ridout said. “They are a quality opponent and you can’t underestimate them. You have to say this is going to be a battle and we are going to prepare for it.”
Montesano held the Rockets to 102 yards of total offense last week as the Bulldogs rolled to a 42-0 win, but Castle Rock has plenty of weapons to do damage on the ground. The Rockets rushed for 244 yards against Washougal on Sept. 9, led by 106 yards from senior back Tanner Catlin.
“Castle Rock is very physical up front and they have a very good offensive and defense line,” Ridout said. “They are very solid and disciplined up front. They are a smashmouth team. They’ll use their backs to block and they will fill with their horses up front and they will use their fly sweep off the same action.”
While the Rockets concentrate on keeping the ball on the ground offensively, their defensive focus is also on the run with a 4-3 system that tends to pack the box against teams with a strong rushing attack. Aberdeen featured a balanced attack against Elma with running back Kylan Touch rushing for 219 yards and receiver Braden Castleberry-Taylor accounting for 135 yards.
Ridout said the key for Aberdeen is to utilize Touch, Castleberry-Taylor and continue to implement several other weapons including Elias Jimenez, who had one run of 36 yards and a touchdown catch of 39 yards against the Eagles. Among the other factors Ridout mentioned were consistent line play and taking advantage of the soft spots in the Rockets defense.
Overall, Ridout said the self confidence earned from a victory last week could breed several wins to come including on Friday.
“These guys haven’t had enough Ws so it really feels good for them to have smiles on their faces,” Ridout said. “They have busted their butts as hard as any team so good things will happen and Friday night was a good thing.”
HOQUIAM-LA CENTER
Hoquiam got a lesson in just how much penalties can hurt a team in the first half last week. After the Grizzlies grabbed a 6-0 lead, a defensive lapse and an interception set Stevenson to take a 14-6 lead. Hoquiam struggled the rest of the half to find offensive rhythm. When they finally did in the second half, the Grizzlies rolled to a 35-14 win.
“We would get a big gain and it would come back,” Hoquiam coach Rick Moore said. “We talked to the kids about blowing our toes off with penalties and I said ‘In the second half, it is up to you guys to take care of it,’ which they did. I give our kids credit for their resiliency and coming out in the second half and taking care of business. In the second half, we ran the ball really well.”
Moore cited offensive linemen Matt Brown, Garrett Bradley, Dylan Moodenbaugh and Jordan Sears for creating the holes to allow Johnson to scamper for 240 yards on the day. Also, Moore cited assistant coaches Jeremy McMillan and Ed Dawson for making adjustments at halftime.
This week, the Grizzlies (2-1) will look to tackle La Center (2-1), which has been powered by its run game this season. The Wildcats feature running backs Jeffrey Mayolo and Brett Judd. Mayolo rushed for 93 yards in La Center’s first game this season, but he is not the only weapon for the Wildcats. Quarterback Jeremy Scott passed for 248 yards in the same game as La Center lost 46-35 to Hockinson.
“They like running the ball,” Moore said. “They use traps, tackle traps, traps inside. Not a lot of outside runs, but usually within the tackles. We have to control the ball offensively and chew the clock that way too. Now that we run the ball pretty well, that is to our advantage and we are pretty balanced in our run-pass game.”
The Wildcats utilize a 3-4 defensive system that will often have the outside linebackers play close to the line, almost becoming defensive ends in a 5-2 formation. The key for Hoquiam will be to keep the Wildcat defense on the field, no matter what formation they are in.
“I don’t want their offense on the field too long, because they have a solid line that can get after it so the key is to keep our defense fresh too,” Moore said. “The key to victory is ball control. If we can do that and play hard and fast on defense, then we will be alright.”
OTHER CONTESTS
The highlight of the football schedule this week comes in the 2B ranks with undefeated Toledo taking on PWV (2-1). The Titans only loss came against Adna, 23-6 on Sept. 2, which Toledo edged by one point last week. The Indians may not have a blemish on their record, but the Titans offense is hitting its stride and should make for a thoroughly entertaining matchup on Friday.
Other 2B contests include North Beach traveling to take on Kalama, while Wahkiakum packs the trails to Raymond and Mossyrock battles South Bend at Millam Field.
Ocosta and Taholah will both enjoy bye weeks.
