Key league games are on deck as we preview Week 5 of the Twin Harbors prep football season.
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Tenino at Montesano
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Jack Rottle Field, Montesano
Players to watch: Tenino – Mason Metcalf QB, Michael Lanning RB, Austin Johnson WR. Montesano – Tyson Perry QB/DB, Toren Crites RB/DB, Terek Gunter RB/DB, Zach Timmons RB/DB.
Montesano’s 1A Evergreen League opener is an important one as the Bulldogs face an unbeaten Tenino team on Friday in Montesano.
The Bulldogs (4-0 overall) have been on a roll since the fourth quarter of a 20-19 comeback win over La Center to start the season. Monte rolled over 2B-class power Napavine 56-0 last week with a performance befitting the Bulldogs’ No. 3 ranking in the latest WIAA RPI standings.
Monte rushed for over 300 yards against the Tigers while the “Maroon Storm” defense held Napavine to 139 total yards of offense.
The Bulldogs were led by running back Terek Gunter’s 118-yard, two-touchdown performance on just six carries while quarterback Tyson Perry had 144 yards and two scores on five completions to five different receivers.
While Monte got through a tough non-league schedule unscathed, there won’t be any reprieve against the Beavers (4-0) under the Friday night lights.
Tenino is coming off a 44-15 win over a Centralia team they led by five points at halftime and have wins this season over Rainier, Kalama and Adna.
In last week’s game, the Beavers were led by quarterback Mason Metcalf (11-14, 192 yards, 3 TD) and running backs Michael Lanning (13-88) and Miguel Espinoza (6-61)
But Tenino showed some cracks against the Tigers, allowing Centralia running back Malcolm Tukes to rack up 113 yards on 25 carries in a game that was closer than the final score made it appear.
Despite Monte dealing with the added distractions of a homecoming game, the Bulldogs are the favorite here. Montesano has played better against a much tougher non-league schedule and should find plenty of offense against a Tenino team that allowed over 200 yards to a 1-3 Centralia team last week.
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DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Aberdeen’s Dylan Brown (72), Sam Schreiber (8) and Cole Nylander (78) line up for a play during a game against Hoquiam on Sept. 26. The Bobcats face W.F. West in a key 2A Evergreen Conference game on Friday in Chehalis.
Aberdeen at W.F. West
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at W.F. West High School, Chehalis
Players to watch: Aberdeen – Micah Schroeder RB/LB, Riley Wixson RB/LB, Mason Hill QB, Adonis Hammonds WR/DB. W.F. West – Wyatt Hoffman QB, Connor Coleman REC, Holden Kunz REC.
Year in and year out the race for the 2A Evergreen Conference title shapes out to be between Tumwater and W.F. West, with everybody else – including Aberdeen – hoping for no better than third place.
If that is to change for what has shown to be a tough, competitive Bobcats team this season, they’ll have to produce a victory when they face the Bearcats this weekend in Chehalis.
Aberdeen looked great in a last week’s 43-7 rivalry win over Hoquiam, particularly on the defensive end, where it allowed just seven points and 116 total yards of offense against a Hoquiam offense that entered the game scoring more than 30 points per game this season.
On offense, the Bobcats have relied on a pair of workhorse running backs in Micah Schroeder (67 carries, 419 yards, 6 TD) and Riley Wixson (48-293, 2 TD) to carry the load. Schroeder is arguably the fastest player on the field against any opponent the Bobcats face and both he and Wixson have an uncanny ability to gain extra yardage after first contact, often dragging defenders behind them.
To keep the defense honest, Aberdeen quarterback Mason Hill has been efficient and effective this season. The junior has completed 66% of his passes this season (43-65) for 434 yards and four touchdowns without an interception.
DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Aberdeen junior linebacker Glenny Black celebrates after recording a sack during a game against Hoquiam on Sept. 26. The Bobcats face W.F. West in a key 2A Evergreen Conference game on Friday in Chehalis.
The Bearcats (3-1) are in the midst of a three-game winning streak after last week’s 55-25 victory over Shelton.
W.F. West is led by sophomore quarterback Wyatt Hoffman, who has amassed nearly 800 yards of total offense over the past two games.
Hoffman passed for 385 yards and five touchdowns while leading the Bearcats in rushing with 71 yards against the Highclimbers.
If Aberdeen can find a way to limit and contain Hoffman while continuing to chunk out yards in the running game, it could earn its first win over W.F. West in its past 12 attempts, a streak that dates back to 2007.
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Elma at Rochester
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Rochester High School
Players to watch: Elma – Isaac McGaffey QB/S, Colt Landstrom RB/DB, Dayton Brookins WR/CB, Kolby Rademacher RB/LB. Rochester – Ethan Rodriguez RB; Maddox Rodgers RB/OLB. Xander Peterman RB/MLB.
After opening the season with a win, the Elma Eagles are hoping to stop a three-game losing streak against Rochester on Friday.
The Eagles (1-3) were searching for any offense in last week’s 49-0 loss to King’s, one in which Elma managed just 73 yards and had four turnovers.
When Elma has been on its game this season, senior quarterback Isaac McGaffey has used his arm and legs to generate offense, namely getting the ball to offensive weapons Colt Landstrom, Dayton Brookins and company.
Elma had averaged 310 yards of total offense per game heading into last week’s loss, and the Eagles will need all of that if they hope to upset a good Rochester team.
The Warriors (3-1) responded to a loss to Aberdeen two weeks ago with a dominant 41-7 win over Black Hills last week.
In that game, the Warriors’ three-headed monster of running backs Maddox Rodgers (16-166, 2 TD), Xander Peterman (18-132, TD) and Ethan Rodriguez (16-106, 2 TD) combined for over 400 rushing yards and five touchdowns.
That doesn’t bode well for an Eagles defense that has allowed 38.5 points a game this season.
For Elma to win, the offense will have to return to its form from the first two weeks of the season while the defense will have to figure out a way to stop Rochester’s power-running game.
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RIDLEY HUDSON / THE CHRONICLE Pe Ell-Willapa Valley lineman Dylan Andrews (50) and running back Lucas Lusk, seen here in a file photo, will face Raymond-South Bend in a Pacific County rivalry game on Friday in South Bend.
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley at Raymond-South Bend
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Sanchez Field, South Bend
Players to watch: PWV – Brody Ritzman QB/DB, Blane King WR/DB, Lucas Lusk RB/LB, Spud Swogger RB/LB. RSB – Chris Banker RB/LB, Manny Souza RB/DB, Angel Morales QB/DB.
Pe Ell-Willapa Valley and Raymond-South Bend renew their Pacific County rivalry when the two teams square off at 7 p.m. Friday in South Bend.
The Titans (3-1) are coming off a rare 8-man win over Winlock, but the switch to the wide-open spaces of the 8-man game shouldn’t affect PWV one bit.
“We spent about 15 minutes each day on 8-man stuff,” PWV head coach John Peterson said of last week’s game prep. “Our offensive philosophy is so simplistic. We’re going to run inside, dive and buck sweep, power and counter trey and toss. That doesn’t change.”
So PWV should show no ill signs of the mid-season 8-man disruption.
That bodes well for Titans running back Lucas Lusk (42 carries, 346 yards, 5 TD) and company as PWV looks for its sixth-straight win over Raymond-South Bend in its combo-team era.
The Ravens (2-2) started the season with two straight wins before hitting speed bumps with a non-league loss to Hoquiam followed by a 47-8 loss in a 2B Central-North League opener last week against Adna.
RSB will go as far as running back Chris Banker can take them, as the senior has amassed 696 yards and seven touchdowns on 79 carries this season, an average of 8.8 yards per carry.
The Ravens defense has allowed 34.6 points per game over the past three weeks, which could pose problems against a Titans offense that has speed and depth.
This might be a game of give and take. How much can the Titans give and how much can the Ravens take before they break?
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DAILY WORLD FILE PHOTO Hoquiam senior Joey Bozich, seen here in a file photo from Sept. 26, and the Grizzlies take on Toutle Lake in a non-league game on Friday in Hoquiam.
Toutle Lake at Hoquiam
When and where: 7 p.m. Friday at Olympic Stadium, Hoquiam
Players to watch: Toutle Lake – Jamison Shelb QB/FS, Austin Webber WR/CB, Dominic Rivera RB/OLB. Hoquiam – K.J. McCoy QB, Ryan Pullar OL/DL, Kingston Case RB/DB, Ethan Byron WR/K.
Hoquiam will look to get back on track when they host the Toutle Lake Fighting Ducks on Friday.
The Grizzlies (2-2) are coming off a 43-7 loss to Aberdeen in the 120th Myrtle Street Rivalry and will have to refocus after the up-and-down rollercoaster of emotions that game brings.
Aberdeen stifled a Grizzlies offense that had entered last week’s contest scoring 30 points or more in each of its first three games of the season, holding Hoquiam to less than 100 yards of offense and forcing two turnovers.
Hoquiam has been led by standout freshman quarterback K.J. McCoy, who has sparked the offense and shown the ability to distribute the ball to multiple weapons in running back Kingston Case and receivers Ethan Byron, Jovanni Koth and Lincoln Niemi.
Toutle Lake is coming off its first loss of the season – a 52-20 defeat at the hands of Toledo – and is led by quarterback Jamison Shelb.
The Fighting Ducks defense allowed six points apiece in wins over Fort Vancouver (66-6) and Bellevue Christian (8-6) this season.
If Hoquiam regains its offensive form, it should be able to put points on the scoreboard against a Toutle Lake defense that has feasted on weaker teams, yet struggled against better competition.
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Other games
Lake Quinault at Clallam Bay: The Elks (0-3, 0-2 1B Coastal 6-man) look for their first win of the season when they face the Bruins (0-2, 0-1) at 5 p.m. Thursday at Clallam Bay High School.
Naselle at North Beach: The Hyaks (2-2, 2-2 1B SWW 8-man) face the Comets (3-1, 1-1) in a key Southwest Washington 8-man League matchup at 7 p.m. Friday in Ocean Shores.
Ocosta at Wahkiakum: The Wildcats (3-1, 3-1 1B SWW 8-man) can move into a tie for first place with a win over the Mules (4-0, 3-0) at 7 p.m. Friday at Wahkiakum High School.
Taholah at Oakville: The Chitwhins (0-3, 0-3 1B SWW 8-man) will be searching for their first win of the season when they face the Acorns (2-2, 2-2) at 7 p.m. Friday at Tomahawk Field in Oakville.
Wishkah Valley at Mary M. Knight: The Loggers (3-0, 3-0 1B Coastal 6-man) look to remain atop the league standings when they face the second-place Owls (2-1, 2-1) at 1 p.m. Saturday at Mary M. Knight High School.
