A handful of Twin Harbors teams made it through the gauntlet of the regular season and are playing in this weekend’s state-qualification round.

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Annie Wright Academy at Montesano

When and where: 1 p.m. Saturday at Jack Rottle Field, Montesano

Players to watch: Annie Wright – Eli Weir QB, Charlie Finch WR. Montesano — Tyson Perry QB/DB, Toren Crites RB/DB, Kole Kjesbu REC/LB, Zach Timmons RB/DB.

Montesano’s annual postseason journey begins with a date against Annie Wright Academy in a state-qualification game – formerly known as the crossover round – on Saturday in Montesano.

Monte’s narrow loss two weeks ago to Nooksack Valley didn’t do the Bulldogs (8-1 overall) any favors as Monte went from a likely top-three seed with a victory to being placed No. 6 in Sunday’s seeding committee.

That said, the Bulldogs are still in prime position against the No. 19 Gators (7-2), a program in just its second year of existence.

Despite its impressive record, Annie Wright placed third overall in the 1A Nisqually League and had by far the easiest schedule of any 1A team, according to the WIAA RPI rankings.

The Gators’ opponents winning percentage is listed at 0.281, far below that of Monte, which had a .531 OWP that included six games against 2A or 1A top-10 ranked teams at the time of play.

Annie Wright is led by quarterback Eli Weir and has wins over Klahowya, East Jefferson and Lynnwood, while losing to Life Christian and Cascade Christian this season.

But ask any 1A Evergreen League coach and they’ll tell you, winning at Rottle Field is a daunting task, even for quality teams that have played there before.

For a second-year program that has not played an opponent of Montesano’s caliber yet this season, winning on Saturday would take a monumental upset.

At the time of this writing, the weather at kickoff is expected to be cloudy with highs in the mid-50s, meaning the downpour that created problems for Monte in the Nooksack Valley loss – that it seemed to remedy a week later against Elma – should not be an issue on Saturday.

That should be good news for a Bulldogs team that has thrived when senior quarterback Tyson Perry, senior receiver Toren Crites and senior running back Zach Timmons get the high-octane offense off and running.

The Bulldogs “Maroon Storm” defense has been outstanding this season, allowing no more than 19 points in a game – that coming in a Week 1 20-19 win over La Center – and holding its opponents to a touchdown or less in six of its nine games.

Monte has proven itself through a difficult regular-season schedule that it is likely better than the sixth-seed it received.

Now, they’ll get the chance to prove it on the state stage.

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PHOTO BY FOREST WORGUM Aberdeen running back Riley Wixson is seen here in a file photo. The Bobcats will travel east to face West Valley in a 2A state-qualification game in Spokane.

Aberdeen at West Valley (Spokane)

When and where: Saturday in Spokane (Time to be determined).

Players to watch: Aberdeen – Micah Schroeder RB/LB, Riley Wixson RB/LB, Mason Hill QB, Adonis Hammonds WR/DB. West Valley – Elijah Newman RB/OLB, Nathan Zettie QB/DB, Adam Knapp TE/OLB.

Aberdeen earned its first trip to the 2A state-qualification round since the 2023 season with an 18-0 play-in game victory over Mark Morris on Tuesday.

The reward for No. 17 Aberdeen (7-3): A date with the 2A Greater Spokane League champion West Valley on Saturday in Spokane.

In its previous two tries in the “crossover” round, Aberdeen fell short, losing 35-21 to Washougal in 2023 and 28-0 to Ridgefield in 2021.

For the Bobcats to reach the round of 16, they’ll have to find a way to stop West Valley (8-1), a team in the midst of a seven-game winning streak.

During that streak – which included a 6-0 romp through its league scheduled– the Eagles have outscored its opponents 256-46, including a 31-7 shellacking over East Valley last week in a battle for the league title.

In that game, Eagles running back Elijah Newman rushed for four touchdowns and 200 yards, but he’s just one of several West Valley players capable of making plays and having big games.

Aberdeen goes as senior running backs Micah Schroeder and Riley Wixson go, and both will likely be relied upon to chew up yardage and wear down the Eagles defense.

If West Valley stacks the box looking to stall Aberdeen’s dynamic duo, Bobcats quarterback Mason Hill will be relied upon to get the ball to receivers such as playmaker Adonis Hammonds on the wing and Sam Schreiber in the slot.

At 7-3, the Bobcats have their best record head coach Todd Bridge’s tenure, but they are still looking for that “signature win” to move them into the upper echelon of 2A programs.

Saturday could be that day if all goes well for the Bobcats.

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Coupeville at Pe Ell-Willapa Valley

When and where: 6 p.m. Friday at Crogstad Field, Menlo

Players to watch: Coupeville – Chase Anderson QB/LB, Liam Blas RB/LB. PWV – Brody Ritzman QB/DB, Blane King WR/DB, Lucas Lusk RB/LB, Cody Mican WR/DB.

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley’s finish to the regular season wasn’t as the Titans had hoped. They’ll get a chance to wash it away when they host Coupeville in a 2B state-qualification game on Friday.

The Titans (6-3) ended the season third in the 2B Central-North League with two straight losses to end the regular season.

They’ll face a Wolves team that went 1-7 on the season, with that win coming against South Whidbey 35-6 on Oct. 10, one week before they were blown out by Adna 52-7.

The Wolves are led by senior quarterback Chase Anderson, who leads Coupeville in both passing and rushing this season.

Though running back Spud Swogger is questionable for the game after suffering an injury during the first half of a loss to Adna last week, PWV still has plenty of its weapons available, including leading rusher Lucas Lusk (109 carries, 807 yards, 7 TD), leading receiver Blane King (18 catches, 297 yards) and starting quarterback Brody Ritzman (35-75, 630 yards, 6 TD, 5 INT).

After two straight losses to 2B powers Napavine and Adna, facing a one-win team out of a far smaller and less competitive 2B Northwest League looks like a cakewalk.

But PWV head coach John Peterson is not one to overlook an opponent, and he will surely have his Titans focused and ready come this weekend.

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Raymond-South Bend at Onalaska

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Onalaska High School

Players to watch: RSB – Chris Banker RB/LB, Keeton Nichols RB/LB, Angel Morales QB/DB. Onalaska – Lane Gordon QB/FS, Ethan Thayer RB/LB.

Raymond-South Bend’s loss in the regular-season finale to Ilwaco proved costly as the Ravens will now have to face 2B-power Onalaska in a 2B state-qualification game on Friday.

The Ravens (4-5) finished fifth in the 2B Central-North League after last week’s 20-0 loss to the Fishermen, one in which standout senior running back Chris Banker rushed for 151 yards on 29 carries to bring his season total to 1,649 rushing yards.

Banker and company will have to have an even bigger game if they hope to upset a loaded Loggers team.

Onalaska (6-3) enters Friday’s game as the No. 2 team out of the 2B Central-South League, with their three losses this season coming against 1A powers Nooksack Valley and Cascade Christian and a 32-0 loss to league-champion Toledo two weeks ago.

Onalaska is led by quarterback Lane Gordon and standout running back Ethan Thayer and have reached the state semifinals in three of the past five seasons.

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Other games

Ocosta at Lummi Nation: The Wildcats (4-4) take on the Blackhawks (4-4) at 5 p.m. Friday at Lummi High School.

Wishkah Valley at Lake Quinault: The Loggers (7-0) can close out an undefeated regular season with a win over the Elks (1-6) in a 1B Coastal 6-man League game at 1 p.m. Saturday in Amanda Park.

North Beach at Tulalip Heritage: The Hyaks (5-4) face the Hawks (4-3) in an 8-man playoff game at 4 p.m. Saturday in Tulalip.

PHOTO BY MATT RUMBLES Pe Ell-Willapa Valley running back Lucas Lusk, seen here in a file photo, and the Titans host Coupeville in a 2B state-qualification game at 6 p.m. Friday at Willapa Valley High School.