Prep Football Preview: Several area teams face unbeaten, ranked opponents this week

Five Twin Harbors teams to face ranked and/or undefeated foes for Week 4 of the prep season

CORRECTION: Due to a source error, the incorrect time/date was given for the Aberdeen at Prosser football game. The game is scheduled for 2 p.m. Saturday.

Week 4 of the prep football season features several Twin Harbors teams facing ranked and/or undefeated opponents in the final nonleague weekend of the 2022 campaign.

ABERDEEN AT PROSSER

When and where: 2 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24, at Prosser High School

Aberdeen — Aidan Watkins RB/LB; Trey Anderson RB/LB; Grady Springer QB. Prosser — Kory McClure QB; Neo Medrano RB.

Aberdeen will face a tough test when it travels to the eastern part of the state to take on undefeated Prosser on Friday.

The Mustangs have shined en route to a 3-0 season, dominating Grandview 54-0 last week and earning a No. 4 ranking on scorebooklive.com.

Prosser is led by quarterback Kory McClure, who threw for four TD passes in last week’s win.

Aberdeen got some bad news on Tuesday when its appeal to a controversial personal-foul call against top running back Jeremy Sawyer in a Sept. 16 win over Centralia was upheld, meaning Sawyer will be unavailable to play.

Sawyer’s absence, coupled with the knee injury to starting senior quarterback Kale Goings, means the Bobcats will be going into this week’s game without two of its top players at the skill positions.

Juniors Aidan Watkins and Grady Springer filled in nicely for the Cats at running back and quarterback, respectively, and the hard-hitting Aberdeen defense pounded Centralia, holding the Tigers scoreless.

They’ll be put to the test this week with a long road trip to face a quality opponent on the road.

CASTLE ROCK AT MONTESANO

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at Jack Rottle Field, Montesano

Players to watch: Montesano — Jayden McElravy QB/LB; Bode Poler WR/DB; Gabe Bodwell RB/LB. Castle Rock — Stephen Ibsen QB/S, Chase Rusher WR/S.

Montesano will host Castle Rock in a matchup that will show just how good these two teams are.

Monte cracked the SB Live top 10 after two straight wins, including a dominant performance last week against Columbia-White Salmon, holding its second straight opponent scoreless.

Montesano’s defense has been outstanding the past two games. The Bulldogs held La Salle to minus 52 yards rushing and made several spectacular plays, including a rundown by linebacker Kaleb Ames to save a touchdown and a fumble return for a score by Felix Romero.

In Castle Rock, the Bulldogs will be facing an undefeated opponent looking to crack into the top 10 itself at Montesano’s expense.

The Rockets defeated Elma last week, largely due to quarterback Stephen Ibsen, who passed for two scores and rushed for 137 yards.

Montesano is 13-2 against Castle Rock dating back to 2004 and currently holds a 10-game winning streak against the Rockets.

NOOKSACK VALLEY AT HOQUIAM

When and where: 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at Olympic Stadium, Hoquiam

Hoquiam — Zander Jump QB; Owen McNeill WR/DB; Jake Templer RB/LB. Nooksack Valley — Joey Brown QB; Jackson Bennett WR/CB; Evan Bravo RB/CB.

Hoquiam will face a ranked opponent for the first time this season when the Grizzlies take on No. 6 Nooksack Valley on Friday.

After a loss in Week 1, Hoquiam has looked good while earning two straight victories, including making smart plays down the stretch to kill the clock in a win over La Salle.

The Grizzlies offense is starting to find a rhythm, with quarterback Zander Jump spreading the ball around to his weapons in running backs Jake Templer and Anthony Burtenshaw and wide receiver Owen McNeill.

The Pioneers are undefeated on the season and are led by quarterback Joey Brown, who has shown an ability to throw from both the pocket and on the run.

In a 21-0 win over Connell two weeks ago, Brown passed for two scores, including a 75-yarder to Jackson Bennett, and rushed for one more.

ELMA AT COLUMBIA-WHITE SALMON

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at Columbia High School

Players to watch: Elma — Carter Studer QB/OLB; Ethan Camus WR/DB; Isaac Phillips RB/LB. Columbia-White Salmon — Wesley White QB.

Elma will look to bounce back from last week’s loss when they take on winless Columbia-White Salmon on Sept. 16.

The Eagles started to show signs of settling into its new-look offense last week as junior quarterback Carter Studer passed for three touchdowns and hooked up with five different receivers for completions.

In last week’s loss to Castle Rock, Elma outscored the Rockets 18-14 after the first quarter.

CWS has struggled this season, managing just eight points in its three losses while giving up 95 points, 57 of those in a loss to Montesano last week.

ADNA AT RAYMOND-SOUTH BEND

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at South Bend High School

Players to watch: RSB — Austin Snodgrass QB/DB; Ty Reidinger RB/LB. Daniel Medeiros WR/DB. Adna — Lane Johnson QB; Jaxon Dunnagan RB/CB; Asher Guerrero RB/LB.

Raymond-South Bend will face its toughest test of the season in facing No. 6 Adna on Friday.

The Ravens are undefeated in three games and sit just outside the top 10 rankings.

RSB has rushed for 948 yards and 18 touchdowns this season, led by senior quarterback Austin Snodgrass, who has 410 yards and seven touchdowns on the season, including several scores of 40 yards or more.

The Ravens’ big play ability will be tested against an Adna team whose only loss was to top-ranked Napavine in Week 1.

The Pirates smashed White Swan last week, leading 41-0 by halftime and getting 119 rushing yards and three touchdowns from running back Jaxon Dunnigan.

A win for RSB could be a program-defining one in the combo team’s young history.

NAPAVINE AT PE ELL-WILLAPA VALLEY

When and where: 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 23, at Willapa Valley High School

Players to watch: PWV — Kolten Fluke QB/LB; Blake Howard RB/LB; Derek Fluke RB/LB. Napavine — Ashton Demarest QB; Cael Stanley RB; Karsen Denault WR.

Pe Ell-Willapa Valley’s brutal non-league schedule continues on Friday with likely its toughest test of the regular season — top-ranked Napavine.

The Tigers, jokingly dubbed the “University of Napavine” by longtime PWV assistant coach John Peterson, has looked the part this season.

Napavine has yet to allow a point while averaging 57 points a game in its three wins.

The Tigers opened the season with a 40-0 blowout over Adna, a team PWV lost to 18-14 one week later.

The Titans rebounded from that loss with a blowout 45-6 win over Wahkiakum last weekend, gaining 279 yards on the ground and five rushing touchdowns.

If ever PWV wanted to know how it matched up against the best in the 2B class, this game is it.

OTHER GAMES

Wahkiakum at Ocosta (7 p.m. Friday) — Ocosta will hit the field for the first time in two weeks when the Wildcats take on Wahkiakum Friday in Westport.

Taholah at Muckleshoot Tribal — The Chitwhins are coming off a 70-0 loss to Oakville last week and will look for their first win of the season when they face Muckleshoot Tribal at 7 p.m. on Friday.

Clallam Bay at Lake Quinault (1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 24) — Lake Quinault looks to remain undefeated in the 6-man ranks when the Elks take on the Bruins on Saturday at Lake Quinault High School.

Mary M. Knight at Wishkah Valley (11 a.m. Saturday) — One of these teams will pick up its first win of the season when the Owls and Loggers face off on Saturday, Sept. 24.

North Beach game canceled — North Beach’s scheduled game against Toledo has been canceled. No rescheduled date available at the time of this writing.

PHOTO BY SHAWN DONNELLY Montesano receiver Bode Poler and the Bulldogs will face undefeated Castle Rock in a nonleague matchup on Friday, Sept. 23, in Montesano.

PHOTO BY SHAWN DONNELLY Montesano receiver Bode Poler and the Bulldogs will face undefeated Castle Rock in a nonleague matchup on Friday, Sept. 23, in Montesano.

PHOTO BY LARRY BALE Pe Ell-Willapa Valley running back Blake Howard, center, and Wil Clements (5), seen here in a game against Wahkiakum on Sept. 16, 2022, will face top-ranked Napavine on Friday, Sept. 23.

PHOTO BY LARRY BALE Pe Ell-Willapa Valley running back Blake Howard, center, and Wil Clements (5), seen here in a game against Wahkiakum on Sept. 16, 2022, will face top-ranked Napavine on Friday, Sept. 23.