Montesano and Hoquiam square off in a cross-county matchup as we preview Week 6 prep football games on the Harbor.
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Montesano at Hoquiam
When and Where: 7 p.m. Friday at Olympic Stadium, Hoquiam
Players to watch: Montesano – Tyson Perry QB/DB, Zach Timmons RB/DB, Toren Crites WR/LB, Nathan Dowler OL/DL. Players to watch: Hoquiam – K.J. McCoy QB, Ethan Byron WR/LB/K, Lincoln Niemi TE/LB, Kingston Case RB/DB.
Two teams on the upswing will face off when Montesano faces Hoquiam in a 1A Evergreen League game on Friday.
The Bulldogs (5-0, 1-0 1A Evergreen) have been dominant since the fourth quarter of Week 1, beating its last four opponents by an average score of 49 to 4.
Monte figured to have one of its toughest league tests against undefeated Tenino last week, but the Bulldogs proved themselves to be in a class above the Beavers with a sparkling 49-0 win.
Monte’s defense has allowed just 14 points over the last four games, including shutouts of Tenino and 2B-class power Napavine two weeks ago.
The Bulldogs offense continues to rack up yardage whether it be in the ground game or via the air. Senior quarterback Tyson Perry had one of his better games of the season last week, completing 11-of-15 passes for 215 yards and four touchdowns to four different receivers.
One of those pass-catchers, standout running back Terek Gunter, injured his left ankle during Friday’s game and is questionable for this week’s game.
DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Hoquiam quarterback K.J. McCoy, seen here in a game from Sept. 26, will face a tough test against Montesano on Friday in Hoquiam.
Hoquiam (3-2, 0-0) has alternated its wins and losses this season, beating Toutle Lake 44-40 last weekend after falling to Aberdeen 43-7 two weeks ago in the 120th Myrtle Street Rivalry.
Head Coach Jeremy McMillan returned to the sidelines for the Aberdeen game after missing the first three weeks of the season due to undisclosed personal reasons.
Having the veteran head coach back on the sideline for the third straight week should help Hoquiam return to a sense of normalcy, which should help the growth of young freshman starting quarterback K.J. McCoy, who threw for 171 yards and four touchdowns last week.
The only team to hold Hoquiam under 30 points this season was a more physical Aberdeen team (43-7), and with top running back Kingston Case questionable with a knee injury, Hoquiam has a tough task ahead against a top-five ranked Montesano team.
“Monte is a top-two team in the state. Everything on film fits the bill,” McMillan said of the Bulldogs. “We’re excited for the opportunity to put our best on display with them.”
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DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Aberdeen quarterback Mason Hill (2), seen here against Hoquiam on Sept. 26, and the Bobcats will face Centralia in a 2A Evergreen Conference game this weekend in Centralia.
Centralia at Aberdeen
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Stewart Field, Aberdeen
Players to watch: Centralia – Malcolm Tukes RB, Caden Erickson QB, Chino Leal C. Aberdeen – Micah Schroeder RB/LB, Riley Wixson RB/LB, Mason Hill QB, Adonis Hammonds WR/DB.
Aberdeen’s hope of finishing better than third in the 2A Evergreen Conference took a hit in last week’s loss to W.F. West, meaning barring an upset against Tumwater next week, the Bobcats are likely playing for third-place once again.
Aberdeen will have to avoid the proverbial “trap game” when they face lowly Centralia this weekend.
The Bobcats (3-2, 0-1 1A Evergreen) need to get healthy as they were without two of their top offensive weapons in seniors Adonis Hammonds and Micah Schroeder in last week’s loss.
Schroeder – who has averaged 105 rushing yards per game this season – was scratched as a game-time decision after dealing with a minor undisclosed injury from the week before and the Bobcats hope he will be ready to go come Friday.
As Aberdeen’s deep-play threat in the passing game, Hammonds came up with an injured shoulder returning the opening kickoff. He returned to play on defense in the second quarter, but sat out the second half, one in which the Bobcats were outscored 35-0.
Senior running back Riley Wixson picked up the slack, rushing for 119 yards on 13 carries last week. But like Hammonds and Schroeder, Wixson is banged up and questionable for Friday’s game.
Centralia (1-4, 0-1) is coming off three straight losses to Foster, Tenino and Black Hills.
The Tigers have been outscored 92-15 the past two weeks, including a 48-0 drubbing against the Wolves in a league game last Friday.
Centralia is led by senior running back Malcolm Tukes, who has 632 yards and eight touchdowns through the first four games of the season, but Tukes didn’t play in last week’s loss due to an undisclosed reason.
Aberdeen hasn’t lost to the Tigers in a decade, including last year’s 40-0 thrashing at Tigers Stadium.
Even if Tukes is in the lineup, there isn’t much reason to think that if the Bobcats are even moderately healthy, they should pick up their first conference win of the season. But if Hammonds, Schroeder and Wixson are unable to go, an easy Bobcats win becomes much less likely.
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Elma at Tenino
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Beavers Stadium, Tenino
Players to watch: Elma – Isaac McGaffey QB/S, Colt Landstrom RB/DB, Dayton Brookins WR/CB, Kolby Rademacher. Tenino – Mason Metcalf QB, Michael Lanning RB, Austin Johnson WR.
Elma will look to snap out of a four-game losing streak when it faces Tenino this weekend.
Not much has gone right for the Eagles (1-4, 0-1 1A Evergreen) since a 41-28 opening-week win over Centralia, losing four straight including the last two by a combined score of 108-8.
Through the first three weeks of the season, Elma’s offense averaged 33 points per game, so the Eagles have shown an ability to put points on the scoreboard.
But the defense hasn’t had the same success as Elma has allowed 54 points a game this season, including a season high 62 points to the run-heavy Rochester Warriors last week.
That trend might not change this week as Tenino boasts a similar rushing attack that has shown itself capable this season, including in the first half of last week’s loss to a much-better Montesano defense.
Beavers runners Michael Lanning and Austin Johnson have breakaway speed and it could be another long night for the Elma defense if the Tenino front can create space against an undersized Eagles line.
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PHOTO BY MATT RUMBLES Pe Ell-Willapa Valley’s Lucas Lusk (middle) looks for running room against Raymond-South Bend on Oct. 3. The Titans take on Ilwaco at 7 p.m. on Friday in Menlo.
Ilwaco at Pe Ell-Willapa Valley
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Crogstad Field, Menlo
Players to watch: Ilwaco – Haddox Hazen QB, Corbin Johnson RB, Dylan Pelas WR. PWV – Brody Ritzman QB/DB, Blane King WR/DB, Lucas Lusk RB/LB, Spud Swogger RB/LB.
Nothing is easy in the 2B Central-North League as Pe Ell-Willapa Valley faces one of three straight tough matchups when it hosts Ilwaco on Friday at Willapa Valley High School.
The Titans (4-1, 1-0 2B Central-North) are coming off a 41-6 win over Raymond-South Bend and are led by a plethora of capable running backs, most notably junior Lucas Lusk, who leads the Titans with 512 rushing yards – 102 per game – and seven touchdowns.
Ilwaco (4-1, 1-0) rallied from down 10 to earn a 37-33 win over league-foe Forks last week.
Ilwaco quarterback Haddox Hazen completed 16-of-30 passes for 171 yards and three touchdowns in the victory, all to senior receiver Dylan Pelas, who caught eight passes for 111 yards.
The Fishermen also have wins over Columbia (White Salmon), Vashon Island and Morton-White Pass, with those teams going a combined 4-9 this season.
PWV has won eight straight games in the series dating back to 2016, including last season’s 36-6 victory.
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PHOTO BY MATT RUMBLES Raymond-South Bend’s Chris Banker (left) collides with Pe Ell-Willapa Valley’s Blane King during a game on Oct. 3. The Ravens face Napavine on Friday.
Raymond-South Bend at Napavine
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Napavine High School
Players to watch: RSB – Chris Banker RB/LB, Manny Souza RB/DB, Angel Morales QB/DB. Napavine – Talon Tabor QB; Caleb Von Pressentin RB; Dean Hamilton WR.
The Raymond-South Bend-Napavine game on Friday is a gut-check game for both teams.
The Ravens (2-3, 0-2 2B Central-North) have lost three in a row, including two straight league losses by a combined score of 88-14.
In last week’s 41-6 loss to Pe Ell-Willapa Valley, the Ravens turned the ball over four times – all on fumbles – and were called out by head coach Luke Abbott for their lack of fight once things didn’t go their way.
Senior running back Chris Banker has been a bright spot for RSB, rushing for 872 yards on 99 carries, an average of 8.8 per carry and 174 per game this season.
But RSB will need more than Banker to produce if it is to find success against a Napavine team that itself is in a funk.
The Tigers (1-4, 0-1) look nothing like the perennial state-finalist they have been for the better part of the last half-decade as they have lost four straight games, three of those to 1A and 2B state-ranked teams.
But last week’s 28-12 loss to Adna had head coach Josh Fay questioning his team’s will to win.
“At some point, you’ve got to want it,” Fay told The Chronicle in Centralia. “You’ve got to hate losing and we don’t hate losing yet.”
Napavine was without starting quarterback Grady Wilson last week after the senior went down with a shoulder injury in a 56-0 loss to Montesano two weeks ago.
That has sent the Tigers into a bit of a tailspin as Wilson – who also doubles as the team’s long-snapper – is arguably the team’s best player and leader.
This game might come down to which team has success early.
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Other games
WA School for the Deaf at Lake Quinault: The Elks (0-4, 0-3 1B Coastal 6-man) are looking to snap a 14-game losing streak when it hosts the Terriers (2-1, 2-1) at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
Taholah at Ocosta: The Chitwhins (0-4, 0-4) face the fourth-place Wildcats (3-2, 3-2) in a 1B Southwest Washington 8-man League game at 7 p.m. Friday in Westport.
North Beach at Wahkiakum: The sixth-place Hyaks (2-3, 2-3) host the first-place Mules (5-0, 4-0) in a 1B SWW 8-man matchup at 7 p.m. at Wahkiakum High School.
Crescent at Wishkah Valley: Game cancelled. No rescheduled date available at the time of this writing.
